Schumer Announces Historic Appointment of DR. Gunisha KAUR to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; KAUR is a Physician, International Human Rights Advocate & Researcher, and SIKH...

Dr. Kaur, A Practicing Physician, Will Be The First Sikh Appointed To The Commission ; She Currently Serves As Salvatore Family Medical Director Of Weill Cornell Center For Human Rights & Is The Founding Director Of Human Rights Impact Lab U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom Is An Independent, Bipartisan Agency Created To Monitor Universal Right To Freedom of Religion Or Belief Abroad, Make Policy Recommendations, And Track Implementation Of The Recommendations Schumer’s Historic Recommendation Reflects The Diversity, Values, And Experiences Of New York’s Communities U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced that Dr. Gunisha Kaur has been recommended for appointment to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom , for a term of two years. The Commission is comprised of nine commissioners, including two appointed by Senate Democratic Leader Schumer. “I am proud to recommend the exceptional Dr. Gunisha Kaur for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,” said Senator Charles Schumer . “Dr. Kaur is a New Yorker who will make history as the first Sikh leader to serve on the Commission, and I am honored to support a commissioner with such extensive experience in human rights and community leadership. Dr. Kaur is a physician, anthropologist, international human rights advocate, and Sikh community leader. She serves as Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of the Anesthesiology Global Health Initiative and Human Rights Impact Lab, and Salvatore Family Medical Director of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights. I am confident that she will bring her deep medical, academic, research, religious and leadership expertise to her service on the Commission.” Dr. Kaur is an anesthesiologist specializing in human rights research and is the first Sikh appointed to USCIRF in the history of the Commission. She has conducted innovative research on displaced populations such as migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Dr. Kaur’s research has been supported by Cornell University, the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research, and the National Academy of Medicine. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College, and she completed her residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine. She also earned an MA in medical anthropology from Harvard University. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency. USCIRF monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad; makes policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress; and tracks the implementation of these recommendations. Created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, the commission is led by 9 Commissioners, appointed to two-year terms by the President, U.S. Senate leadership, and U.S. House leadership. USCIRF advises Congress, engages the executive branch, monitors religious freedom conditions abroad, raises public awareness, and issues an annual report and other publications.