PR Health Justice Center Research Division

The PR Health Justice Center (PRHJC) provides comprehensive clinical forensic services to victim survivors of sexual violence. We provide the services at the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine through an interdisciplinary work team. This team is comprised of medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, criminal justice, legal and epidemiology experts in their field and sexual violence, while providing the services in a transdisciplinary manner.

Vision

A world where sexual violence is unacceptable and where all victims/survivors receive comprehensive services towards their well-being and justice.

Mission

Provide transdisciplinary services, that are centered in the victims/survivors, trauma-sensitive and evidence-based. Collaborating with community organizations and agencies to respond to the welfare and justice needs of the participants. Click to visit PRHJC WebPage

PRHJC - Research Division

As part of the SJBSM-Research Center, the PRHJC Research Division promotes and conducts research to expand knowledge about sexual violence, in all its manifestations and impacts, and from all discipline’s perspectives. Data is obtained from the PRHJC, Government Agencies and Community Programs. All research complies with IRB, State and Federal regulations and approval, and are based on the needs identified form providing direct services that lead changes needed in policy changes, protocols, evidence identification and others. All research must be translational and serve to improve the work done by reducing revictimization, promote healing, and sustain the victimization for the offender accountability from a public health perspective, including justice as an instrument of health.

Health Professions Student Mentoring

Students may participate in case discussions as part of the experience of working in a trauma informed and victim-centered service such as the PRHJC, while learning public policies from Government Agencies in the protection of victims of sexual violence. This may also include community activities such as task forces and seminars. An experience that includes how the health professional can have an involvement in policy development and protocols.

Course completion students: These students work on a research of their own with the PRHJC mentoring according to the discipline of interest, which can be short or long term, retrospective or prospective. These students experience activities in the literature review, data collection and journal clubs.

Extracurricular students and volunteers: These students work by a mutual time plan with the mentor in a manner that it does not affect their curriculum studies but is open to activities while they are learning about sexual violence as a public health problem and how to identify and manage their patients in case of having a violent experience history. These students experience activities in the literature review, clinical case series or reports, statistical analysis, journal clubs, oral and poster presentations and publications.