About the Committee
Created in 1976, the Committee on Human Rights (CHR) is a standing membership committee of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and National Academy of Medicine (NAM). The three National Academies are independent institutions created to provide evidence-based advice on pressing challenges related to science, technology, engineering, and health.
OUR MISSION
The CHR promotes engagement with internationally recognized human rights norms to help shape effective, sustainable, and just responses to societal challenges. It advocates and marshals support for members of the research, technological, and health care communities who come under threat as a result of repression and discrimination.
OUR VISION
The CHR strives to be a leading source of information and guidance on the connections between human rights and science, engineering, and medicine, with the aim of furthering global justice.
WHAT WE DO
Advocate: We appeal for justice in support of colleagues subjected to human rights abuses through outreach to U.S. and international stakeholders, mobilization of national academy members, and use of human rights complaint mechanisms.
Convene: Through a range of events, we explore innovative responses to societal challenges at the intersection of human rights and science, medicine, and engineering.
Facilitate: We build communities of scientists, engineers, and health professionals, encouraging them to integrate human rights into their work and take collective action against rights abuses.
Advise: We provide guidance to programs within the U.S. National Academies, and to U.S. National Academy members, on the human rights dimensions of science, engineering, and health-related challenges.
Inform: We develop resource collections and other creative initiatives that clarify the connections between human rights and science, engineering, and medicine. We highlight strategies that empower professional colleagues to engage with human rights and pursue justice.
Connect: We connect professional colleagues under threat with individuals and institutions that provide needed services, such as pro bono legal advice and assistance with fellowships and academic placements.
OUR TEAM
Supported by a staff of human rights professionals, the CHR is composed of members of the three Academies who are appointed by the Academies’ Presidents.
Commitee Members
MARTIN CHALFIE Chair
Columbia University
NADINE AUBRY
George and Virginia Bugliarello NAE International Secretary
CHRIS BEYRER
Duke University
JOHN CARLSON
Yale University
GISELLE CORBIE
University of North Carolina
CARLOS DEL RIO
NAM International Secretary
VANESSA NORTHINGTON GAMBLE
The George Washington University
WESLEY HARRIS
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MICHELE HEISLER
University of Michigan
JOHN HILDEBRAND
NAS International Secretary
ANDREA LIU
University of Pennsylvania
DOUGLAS MASSEY
Princeton University
JONATHAN MORENO
University of Pennsylvania
DEB NIEMEIER
University of Maryland, College Park
ELLEN OCHOA
Johnson Space Center (Former Director)
Commitee Staff
Rebecca Everly, Director
Patricia Evers, Deputy Director
Tracy Sahay, Program Officer
Ana Deros, Associate Program Officer
Pamela Gamble, Senior Program Assistant
SPOTLIGHT ON NEW MEMBERS
We are pleased to welcome the four members who joined the Committee in 2023 (pictured below). Together, they bring to the CHR expertise on a wide range of issues including bioethics, health and human rights, STEMM education, and international relations.
Nadine Aubry
Michele Heisler
Jonathan Moreno
Ellen Ochoa
