Scoville Fellows at Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) are valued partners on our team of medical professionals, peace and security experts, and PSR chapter organizers around the USA. PSR was founded in 1961 with the motto “Prevention is the only cure.” The combination of policy and advocacy work, which enabled PSR to share the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, is still a central focus of our enduring advocacy on issues of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, climate change and chemical toxins.
The Scoville Fellow will work directly with the Nuclear Weapons Abolition (NWA) Program Director to develop the campaigns in our Strategic Plan. The Scoville Fellow will leverage PSR resources to help with PSR’s new #DemandAcess campaign, a campaign that centers around the idea that “for as long as we fund violence to ‘keep the peace,’ our access- to healthy minds, bodies and environments– is denied to our communities.” Our expectation is to provide a fellow with the experience of managing a project that involves communicating complex issues at the intersection of nuclear weapons and social justice to our members, the public, and the media.
PSR is a Partner Organization in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. The overarching strategy of ICAN toward nuclear weapons is this: “Prohibit. Stigmatize. Eliminate.” ICAN reframed the debate over nuclear weapons by focusing on their catastrophic humanitarian impact—including their medical impact. This strategy led to the successful campaign for a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by 122 nations on July 7, 2017 and entered into force on January 22, 2021. The United States has steadfastly opposed the Treaty–an indication of the work still ahead of us.
PSR Scoville Fellows work to:
● Precipitate a cultural shift in the United States against nuclear weapons by advocating for reigning in the ballooning military budget and transferring those funds to address the real needs of the American people such as access to health care, public health, environmental sustainability, and racial justice.
● Work with Congress to stop the $1.2 trillion plan to replace the entire American nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons, and thereby stop a new nuclear arms race.
● Advocate for frontline communities that have borne the brunt of environmental and health impacts from the nuclear weapons enterprise
● Enlarge and strengthen the constituency of American medical professionals working on these issues.
While PSR works on these strategic initiatives, we simultaneously work with our chapters and allied organizations to prevent a nuclear war from breaking out due to accident or miscalculation.