Stephen Marks, who assumed directorship of the center last August, explained the rationale for the combination of the fields of human rights and health. Health, he said, is concerned with the physical, mental, and social well being of people. Human rights also attempts to optimizing well being in these areas. The field of human rights provides experience in international affairs, international law, diplomacy, and politics. However, the human rights field has not traditionally been strong in evaluating the effectiveness of the standards.
Program evaluation is, however, one of the hallmarks of public health.
These incidents provide an obvious example of how human rights and health issues intersect. A CHE is defined as a crisis in life support and security that threatens a large civilian population with suffering and death and imposes severe constraints upon those who might offer help. The plight of the refugees in Kosovo is an example and one in which the center is currently involved. In Kosovo, human rights violations were the cause of refugees fleeing their homes and gathering into camps. Once gathered in the camps, living in unsanitary conditions and without established medical care, public health issues arose.