Joseph Shin

Physician, child rights advocate
By conducting detailed forensic medical evaluations, Joseph Shin works to advance justice, accountability and health for displaced populations.

Why you should listen

Public health advocate and physician-researcher Joseph Shin has dedicated his career to elevating the voices of survivors of torture, asylum seekers, immigrants, trafficking victims and individuals in immigration detention. Shin uses his expertise to conduct detailed forensic medical evaluations to document evidence of human rights abuses and advocate against injustices. At the heart of this work are innovative interdisciplinary partnerships with legal aid and human rights organizations, combining medical, public health, research, legal and advocacy tools to advance justice, accountability and health.

Shin currently serves as assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell Center for Health Equity. Previously, he was co-medical director at the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights, where he oversaw the medical forensic evaluation, training and research programs, in addition to a new interdisciplinary partnership with Cornell Law School focused on health, human rights and law. He is a recipient of the Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono Publico Award and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest’s Felix A. Fishman Award for his work advancing health and justice.

Joseph Shin’s TED talk