Policy and Advocacy Coordinator

Ben Wagner joined PSOT in June of 2016 and currently serves as Policy and Advocacy Coordinator and Director of Research for the NYU Grossman School of Medicine Center for Health and Human Rights (CHHR).  At PSOT, Ben is responsible for managing policy and advocacy projects in support of asylum seekers and refugees, including ground-breaking legislation in New York State banning medical participation in torture.  His work focuses on understanding the nexus of medical practice, economics, social determinants of health, and cultural impediments to improved health outcomes, particularly among refugees and migrants.  Ben has conducted extensive research on a variety of health and human rights concerns such as access to healthcare in U.S. immigration detention facilities, patterns of human rights abuse among refugee populations, and effective treatment modalities for survivors of torture.

Ben received his MPH in Public Health Policy and BA in Global Health and Human Rights from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and School of Global Public Health accelerated dual-degree program.  He also co-teaches a seminar on Health and Human Rights at New York University.  In the future, Ben plans to attend medical school and become a practicing physician specializing in providing care to refugees, asylees, trafficked persons, and survivors of torture.

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