What Will the SARS-CoV-2 Global Pandemic Teach Us About Human Rights, Nonhuman Rights and Public Health?
An Interview with Phoenix Zones Initiative Founder and CEO Dr. Hope Ferdowsian. By Kimberly J. Soenen | January 4, 2022
(Photo by Nick Brandt: Harriet and People in Fog, Zimbabwe, 2020, from “The Day May Break.” ©Nick Brandt.)
“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein do we err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.”
― Henry Beston, The Outermost House
The first time I spoke with Dr. Hope Ferdowsian, it felt as though we had known each other for years. Since the very first conversation, ours has been an ongoing dialogue about expanding the definition of Public Health by calling on individuals to assess the role they play in imposing harm.
Ferdowsian grew up on a small farm. Like many children who grow up around animals, she grappled with the unjust treatment of animals in society. By the time she entered medical school, she began to seriously study the direct correlation between individual and institutional violence against vulnerable people and animals, and what we can do to reduce trauma and prevent all forms of violence.
Her work across six continents has included collaboration with the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States and the development of medical, Public Health, ethics, and educational resources for nongovernmental organizations, national governments, and intergovernmental organizations such as the World Health Organization. She has also served as an invited expert in preparations for the United Nations High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. In 2017, she was named a Humanitarian of the Year in the American College of Physicians. She is now the president and CEO of Phoenix Zones Initiative, a nonprofit organization that advances social and environmental justice through the scientific and medical perspective.
In September of 2021, she published commentary in Scientific American titled: "Stop Torturing Animals in the Name of Science” which addressed the societal shift in understanding all animals as emotional, sentient, feeling, expressive beings.
Over two decades, as a double-board certified internal medicine and preventive medicine physician, Hope has cared for individuals who have experienced homelessness, displacement, torture, and sexual violence. Her work is dedicated to ending structural inequities, abuse, and exploitation of humans and animals.
Hope received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and bioethics from the University of Southern California, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health, with an emphasis in community medicine, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
She completed an internship in internal medicine at Yale University-Griffin Hospital, a residency in general Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and an internal medicine residency at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She served as an assistant professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and an associate professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and she now serves as an associate professor at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
Because the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic has exposed so many of the Health Philosophy issues that the “SOME PEOPLE” (Every)Body project addresses, I reached out to Dr. Ferdowsian to get her take on the Public Health Philosophy Transformation taking place globally.
Where do you practice medicine and teach now?
In addition to serving as president and CEO of Phoenix Zones Initiative, I see patients and work with medical students and residents, nurses, medical assistants, and many other healthcare providers at a university-based healthcare system.
Why did you launch The Phoenix Zones Initiative?
We established Phoenix Zones Initiative as a global nonprofit organization to advance the interconnected rights, health, and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet through education and outreach, research and analysis, and advocacy for policy change. Much of our work includes building bridges between various disciplines to promote advancements in social, economic, and environmental policy, particularly for the most vulnerable.
Can you explain—in the context of health, healthcare and Public Health—the difference between human and nonhuman rights, both positive and negative?
The biggest difference between human and nonhuman rights is that most human rights are recognized by the law, whereas most nonhuman rights are not recognized by the law.
When we at Phoenix Zones Initiative talk about rights, we’re referring to inalienable or natural rights—life-sustaining needs that are essential to health and wellbeing—that should be recognized by the law.
So-called negative rights include basic needs such as the right to be free to choose what happens to our bodies and lives, and safety and protection from violence and exploitation. Basic needs also include positive rights such as access to nutritious food, housing, and healthcare. If these basic needs aren't met, humans, other animals, and society cannot be healthy. That's why, if we really care about health, we also have to care about rights.
Mid-pandemic, why has it become more important to explain the correlation between animal health and human and environmental health?
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, likely emerged through unhealthy human contact with animals, the poor treatment of animals, and habitat destruction. But zoonotic diseases passed among nonhuman animals and humans aren't the only ways human, animal, and environmental health are connected.
Every day, communicable and noncommunicable diseases patterns, the climate emergency, and countless patterns of exploitation reveal how the rights, health, and wellbeing of people and animals are interconnected. If we don’t start paying attention to these connections, and acting on what we know, we will all continue to suffer the costs.
On the flip side, imagine the healthy, sustainable, and just world we could live and thrive in when leaders and the public wake up and take these connections seriously.
You’ve earned multiple degrees, teach and publish frequently. What is the biggest mountain to surmount when engaging in the animal rights debate?
Honestly, engaging in the animal rights debate is like engaging on many other issues—a question of whether people want to engage in honest, factual, and sometimes uncomfortable dialogue.
Engaging in the animal rights debate can be uncomfortable because acknowledging how our choices can benefit or harm other human and nonhuman beings can also lead to significant changes in how we see the world and how we believe we should act.
However, as with human rights, engaging on the difficult subject of animal rights can also open us up to new possibilities in how we interact with and experience the world around us.
People frequently make the argument that without medical testing on animals, humans would not have so many medical breakthroughs, medicines and technologies that work to “advance society” and “improve health.” What is your position on the use of animals in medical testing?
We can never know where we would be without a reliance on animal testing and research. It's entirely possible that we would have better preventive and therapeutic options without animal testing and research.
A growing number of doctors, scientists, and policymakers question the validity and reliability of applying knowledge gained from animal experiments to human ailments, as well as the risks such poor science poses to vulnerable human patients and populations. Fortunately, although they have yet to be fully implemented, there are more ethical, human-relevant tools that can be used to study disease and potential therapeutic interventions.
Today, almost all animals, including dogs and cats people know, love, and care for in their homes, can be used in research. Almost anything can be done to an animal in the name of science. There is no real threshold for protecting animals from physical and psychological harm.
Fortunately, we now have real research protections for humans, including for vulnerable populations such as children and prisoners. But these protections weren’t always in place. We advocate for extending certain human research protections to animals, and an aspirational yet concrete roadmap toward the replacement of laboratory animal research with more ethical, human-centered methods that can benefit people and animals.
Have you witnessed a sea change in recent years in how people view health, healthcare and Public Health?
To some extent, there has been a sea change in how people view health, healthcare, and Public Health. But there's a lot more work to do.
Throughout the pandemic, we've seen how the public is skeptical of Public Health interventions, including vaccinations, and how little emphasis is placed on prevention.
The pandemic has presented many challenges, but there's also a real opportunity for leaders and practitioners to turn things around and focus healthcare and Public Health resources on prevention, including changes in social, environmental, and political determinants of health that influence individual choices and behaviors.
What have been the top challenges for you as a physician during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?
As a physician, my biggest concern is the lack of national emphasis on primary prevention and the connections between human, animal, and environmental health and wellbeing.
Over the holidays, my partner was on call. An emergent surgery and a kidney transplant were in danger of being delayed due to the lack of ICU beds available in the hospital and state. The patients were fortunate that the medical staff arranged solutions to these crises, but the healthcare system and exhausted healthcare professionals would not be so taxed if we paid closer attention to prevention.
What, in your professional opinion, needs to be improved upon in United States medicine to prevent physician burn out, moral harm and patient risk/harm?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the solution to preventing burnout, moral harm, and risk to patients lies in prevention at every level—from how diseases emerge to the solutions we put in place to manage them.
You work largely in the medical and academic spheres as a respected physician. How do you see art, photography, journalism, essays and video playing a role in education and storytelling now?
Over the course of my career, it's become apparent how important art and various forms of media and storytelling are in reaching people. The work you're doing with other journalists, artists, photographers, and storytellers is more critical now than ever.
Are you hopeful about the current Health Philosophy Transformation taking place globally, as painful as it is?
In many ways, hope is a prerequisite for any transformation. But, as you point out, it can also be painful to acknowledge the pain that is in the world, and the collective mistakes we've made as a society. It remains to be seen as to whether we will make the transformations in philosophy that are necessary to create a healthier society. But, like you and many others, I'm committed to alleviating suffering wherever and however we can—in the most just and ethical ways possible.
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Additional Recommended Reading and Events:
BOOKS
Dr. Ferdowsian’s book Phoenix Zones: Where Strength Is Born and Resilience Lives, was published in 2018 by the University of Chicago Press.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Learn more about Nick Brandt’s essays, photos and films.
ENGAGEMENT and ACTION
Vital Impacts is a 501(c)3 founded by the award-winning photographer Ami Vitale and the visual journalist Eileen Mignoni. This women-led non-profit provides financial assistance and amplifies the narrative of community-oriented organizations dedicated to protecting and preserving human and wildlife habitats. Your generous purchase of Vital Impact’s fine art photography prints directly supports organizations across the globe, who work tirelessly to sustain our planet. During the Vital Impacts current inaugural sale, 60% of net-proceeds are going to Big Life Foundation, Great Plains Foundation's Project Ranger, Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots, and SeaLegacy.
UPCOMING JANUARY 2020 EVENTS
Transforming Medical Research is a revolutionary virtual panel and discussion which will be simulcast on January 27, 2022, at 7pm EST/4 pm PST. The event will help chart a path toward more modern and more ethical research—for humans and animals. Free and open to the public. Registration is required.
National Geographic Live - Wild Hope | January 23, 2022 | 3- 4:30 pm CST > Celebrated global storyteller, photographer, and filmmaker Ami Vitale will share her personal experience — from documenting the realities of war to witnessing the inspiring power of an individual to make a difference. Hear her stories about the reintroduction of northern white rhinos and giant pandas to the wild, as well as Kenya’s first indigenous-owned and run elephant sanctuary.