Details
About the Paper:
This paper, written with five co-authors, including three TB survivors, critically reviews directly observed therapy for TB or DOT. It examines DOT’s history and demonstrates that the treatment method is incompatible with a rights-based response. It shows that the existing evidence, including numerous randomized controlled trials, does not support DOT’s dominance. All the while, a robust and growing body of evidence reveals that DOT harms and violates the rights of people affected by TB. In light of these findings, we propose two principles for the way forward, away from DOT – “differentiated, people-centered care” and “community empowerment for a participatory response.”
Timestamps:
1:22: Question 1: “What are the main arguments you really want you reader to take away from your paper?”
2:18: Question 2: “What do you think makes concepts and practices such as DOT remain as the common recommendation despite the evidence that it is harmful to people?”
4:41: Question 3: “Coming from a background in law, how do you approach human rights within this TB field?”
10:16: Question 4: “What do you think social scientists should do or do differently in the TB field to support person-centred care?”
13:00: Question 5: “As someone who is interested in mixing their research with health and law, what is something that you would want to tell an aspiring student who may be entering the law and health space?”
About the Author:
Brian Citro is a human rights lawyer and independent researcher. He works as an expert consultant with the World Health Organization, Stop TB Partnership, United Nations Development Program, and NGOs, such as Amnesty International, TBpeople, and the Global Coalition of TB Advocates. Before this, he was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Clinical Lecturer in Law at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and the University of Chicago Law School, respectively. Before that, Mr. Citro served as Senior Research Officer to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health in New Delhi, India. He is a recognized global leader on tuberculosis (TB), law, and human rights. Mr. Citro has published extensively on the topic in legal and health journals. He has spearheaded groundbreaking campaigns, including the Nairobi Strategy on TB and Human Rights and the Declaration of the Rights of People Affected by TB, and he has led legal and human rights projects on TB in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Mr. Citro holds a Juris Doctor degree from UChicago Law and a Bachelor of Music Performance from Northern Illinois University.
About the Interviewer:
Hanna is an undergraduate student studying at York University in the Global Health program. She currently works as a research assistant for SSHIFTB.
