Laurie Lola Vollen is a scholar and human rights activist. She specializes in the repercussions of large-scale human rights abuses.

Background

Vollen graduated from Princeton in 1978 as a psychology major.
Princeton Alumni Web. April 6, 2005. Vollen began her career as a doctor in private practice. She then directed

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

's health center. In 1992, Vollen spent a three-week vacation organizing a vaccination program for children in Somalia with

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

."Board of Directors"
. Council for Responsible Genetics. Accessed June 30, 2009. That experience convinced her that she needed to change her focus to do more public service. Beginning in 1996, Vollen spent four years working in Bosnia with Physicians for Human Rights. Vollen founded the Center for Communities Emerging from Injustice (CCEI), a Berkeley-based non-profit that addresses how communities can deal with injustice and human-rights abuses. CCEI pursues DNA identification after ethnic cleansing and genocide to help families find closure. In 2003, Vollen co-founded the Life After Exoneration Program, which helps exonerated prisoners find jobs and housing and access counseling and medical care. Vollen has noted that prison is “physically and psychologically abusive.” Vollen conducted an

International Commission of Jurists The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is an international human rights non-governmental organization. It is a standing group of 60 eminent jurists—including senior judges, attorneys and academics—who work to develop national and inte ...

-sponsored assessment of the Jenin Refugee Camp in the after the Israeli Defense Force's April 2002 incursion. Along with her human rights activism, Vollen practices medicine once a week and directs the DNA Identification Technology and Human Rights Center at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, where she is a visiting scholar. She is a member of both the

Council for Responsible Genetics The Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG) was a nonprofit NGO with a focus on biotechnology. History The Council for Responsible Genetics was founded in 1983 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. An early voice concerned about the social and ethical ...

(CRG) and

Voice of Witness Voice of Witness is a non-profit organization that uses oral history to illuminate contemporary human rights crises in the U.S. and around the world through an oral history book series (published by McSweeney's) and an education program. Voice of ...

boards of directors. Vollen is a co-editor of two of the books in the Voice of Witness series, which gives a voice to those afflicted by contemporary social injustice."Voice of Witness website"
Accessed July 1, 2009.

Publications

''Surviving Justice: America's Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated''. Voice of Witness series. *co-edited by Vollen and

Dave Eggers Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He wrote the 2000 best-selling memoir ''A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius''. Eggers is also the founder of ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', a lite ...

''Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath''. Voice of Witness series. *co-edited by Vollen and Chris Ying

External links

"Life After Exoneration Program, Staff"
LAEP.
"Lola Vollen speaking at book signing""Voice of Witness website"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vollen, Lola Princeton University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people