A new report “When Medicine Meets the Law” highlights the work of the Asylum Support Initiative (ASI), an interdisciplinary collaboration co-led by Katie Meyer, WashU Law professor of practice, and director of the Immigration Law Clinic; Kim Thuy Seelinger, WashU Bursky Public Health professor of practice; and Julia D. Lopez, WashU Medicine assistant professor.
Launched in 2023 with startup funding from WashU’s Here & Next Seed Grant Program, ASI brings together the Center for Human Rights, Gender & Migration, the Immigration Law Clinic, WashU Medicine, and the MICA Project, a St. Louis based nonprofit organization founded by two WashU Law alumnae, to provide pro bono forensic medical and psychological evaluations for people seeking asylum in the St. Louis area.
The new report examines how the initiative connects legal teams with trained clinicians who document physical and psychological evidence consistent with an asylum-seeker’s experiences of persecution, torture, or violence. These evaluations can serve as expert declarations in asylum cases, providing medically grounded support for a client’s testimony.
The report offers a compelling look at what can happen when legal and medical professionals work together to address a complex need in the community. As Meyer notes, “Getting involved with ASI is a great opportunity in any field to grow some really essential skills. For those concerned about what’s happening in this moment, it’s one small but really important thing someone can do.”
