Winner of the Undergraduate Award: Tenzin Dhondup
Lecture Title: Embodied Testimonies: Physicians, Forensics, and the Crisis of Credibility in Asylum Adjudication

We are pleased to honor Tenzin Dhondup, a rising senior at Yale University, as the recipient of this year’s Undergraduate Award for his essay "Embodied Testimonies: Physicians, Forensics, and the Crisis of Credibility in Asylum Adjudication."

Dhondup’s 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–World War II 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, while intended to protect, can reinforce testimonial and interpretive injustices—particularly for political asylees and survivors of torture. It argues that this form of forensic humanitarianism imposes burdens of proof that may ultimately harm. Dhondup calls for refugee protection systems grounded in trust rather than extraction—centered on taking refugees at their word.

Tenzin's academic and policy work spans global health, refugee rights, and legal medicine. He has worked with the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Tibetan Government in Exile’s Department of Health, and the Yale Law School’s Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy. He plans to pursue an MD and JD focused on the intersections of legal status, identity, and health.

Join us on October 8 at noon for the 2025 W. Curtis Worthington, Jr. Essay Contest Undergraduate Winner's Virtual Lecture, hosted by the Student History Club. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link attached.