Tenzin Dhondup’s essay, titled “Embodied Testimonies: Physicians, Forensics, and the Crisis of Credibility in Asylum Adjudication, ” has won the Essay Contest for the History of Health Sciences. He be presenting the paper in October in the Medical University of South Carolina’s Lecture Series.
From Tenzin:
This paper traces a global history of “asylum medicine,” where physicians serve as forensic witnesses in asylum determinations, and examines its role in shaping how credibility is assessed in claims of persecution and trauma. It outlines three key developments: the post-WWII elevation of trauma as legal evidence, the rise of physician-led anti-torture documentation efforts, and the institutionalization of medico-legal standards like the Istanbul Protocol. The paper critiques how medicalized credibility frameworks can reinforce testimonial and interpretive injustices, especially for political asylees and torture survivors. It argues that while this form of “forensic humanitarianism” aims to protect, it also imposes burdens of proof that can harm. The paper ultimately calls for reimagining refugee protection systems grounded in trust rather than extraction—in taking refugees at their word.