Acknowledging that human trafficking is a growing public health concern, in August 2018, the VCU School of Medicine Curriculum Council voted to include a Human Trafficking elective for its medical students. . Under the leadership of Dr. Fidelma Rigby, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, eight medical students stepped forward to help launch this elective that would teach health care providers how to recognize, protect, and restore victims and survivors of human trafficking.

Meet the future physicians who will be bringing education and training on human trafficking to their Residency Programs. They will be forerunners in raising awareness within their medical communities to this horrific, pervasive, and hidden form of abuse that is being misdiagnosed and unaddressed due to a lack of provider awareness and training.

Thank you Austin, Amy, Jessica, Alexandra, Meredith, Rachel, Anu, and JC for helping us plan and host Richmond's first medical symposium on human trafficking. It was an honor working with you all.

Warmly,
Fay

L to R: Austin Oberlin, Amy Hazzard, Jessica Chaoul, Alexandra Stiles, Meredith Mitchell, Rachel Shin, Anu Udayakumar, and John C. Rowe.