Jan. 10-16 | Penn State College of Medicine 1st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration

Penn State College of Medicine will commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a variety of events in person at the University Conference Center and virtually via Zoom. The theme of the 2023 commemoration is “Confronting Race in Medicine and Science: Carving Our Paths to the Promised Land.”
If you can’t fly toward liberty and justice for all, will you run?
This talk will take participants on a journey of exploring racism in medicine from historical and present-day points of view. It will also provide discussion on how we can move forward in our efforts to eliminate racism in medicine:
- Tuesday, Jan. 10
- Noon–1 p.m.
- “Racism in Medicine: Enlightening Ourselves on the Past, Recognizing the Present, and Working Toward Elimination in the Future”
- Guest speaker: Bernadatte Gilbert, MD, associate dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, Penn State College of Medicine
- Zoom
If you can’t run to tackle injustice, will you walk?
The precision health revolution is developing at a rapid pace due to technological advancements that offer greater granularity than ever before. These advancements will certainly push medicine forward. However, it may also amplify existing health disparities in understudied groups. The field of psychiatry is not exempt from this, and greatly depends on more personalized approaches to diagnostics and treatments. Here we will highlight exactly why diversity matters in psychiatric genetics:
- Wednesday, Jan. 11
- Noon–1 p.m.
- “Why Diversity in Psychiatric Genetics Matters”
- Keynote speaker: Jamal Williams, PhD, director of Psychiatric Genetic Research, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
- Zoom
If you can’t walk toward equality, will you crawl?
Creating a truly equitable environment in STEM education today is a two-prong process: How do we enhance our recruitment efforts to be more inclusive across the spectrum of those currently underrepresented in medicine and science? How do we ensure that our institutions provide all students with meaningful tools and strategies that they need for success? In this panel we will discuss how our institution can improve efforts geared towards a more inclusive student body, and how we can prioritize the needs and values of students from historically marginalized backgrounds:
- Thursday, Jan. 12
- 5:30–6:30 p.m.
- “An Opportunity for Radical Revolution in Medicine and Science”
- Panel moderator: Bernice L. Hausman, PhD, Department of Humanities chair, Penn State College of Medicine
- Zoom
If you can’t crawl to tackle inequalities, can you agree to keep moving forward?
The future we seek is only as real as the vision we hold in our minds, and only as tangible as the steps we take to create it. This guided meditation will provide you with an opportunity to envision what tomorrow can look like and the actions you will take to make that vision a reality:
- Thursday, Jan. 12
- 6:30–6:45 p.m.
- “A 15-Minute Guided Meditation ─ Envision Tomorrow: Creating the Promised Land”
- Guest speaker: Sonnya Nieves, MSW, LCSW, program director, Diversity Pathway Programs, Penn State College of Medicine
- Zoom
Related upcoming events:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Penn State Health events
2023 Inclusion Week events
Penn State’s MLK Jr. Commemoration 2023 events
48th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet at Bryce Jordan Center ─ Sunday, Jan. 15
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2023 – Monday, Jan. 16
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