This past summer, the Douglass Project for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math launched the new Women and Public Health Speaker Series. The program seeks to engage students, both those pursuing public health degrees and those studying other fields, in the variety of public health issues laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Issues surrounding public health impact all areas of our society,” said Kayla Fowler DRC'17, Douglass alumna and Director of Experiential STEM Programs. “The purpose of our Women and Public Health Speaker Series is to not only highlight women in the public health sphere, but also to emphasize the significant role that public health has in our everyday lives.”
In the midst of a global pandemic and a reckoning with racism and inequality, it is vital to educate students in how the nation’s healthcare system and institutionalized oppression are interconnected. The first session featured a discussion with the New Jersey Black Women Physicians Association. Members of the organization spoke to students about the impact COVID-19 has had on the lives of physicians and students and the historical and recent violence against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. The conversation also focused on the next steps students can take to be more responsible and inclusive allies.
"Events such as this one are critical to hold for women in the healthcare field because it demonstrates what the media will not show," said biological sciences major Inaya Thompson DRC'23. "To have panelists that represent the 2% of black women in medicine, is not only an honor, but inspiration for young women who aspire to become doctors to continue pushing. Representation matters, and within this event, it made that very clear."
The second installment of the series featured Dr. Shirley Levine DC'65, Douglass alumna and Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine and Hematology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Levine joined students for a discussion about COVID-19 treatment and prevention.
"Even though this event was remote, I felt it was just as informative and interactive with questions being asked throughout. I appreciated the conversations. Something that had resonated with me was the breakdown of how vaccines are tested," said biological sciences major and psychology minor Rachel Antwi-Boasiako DRC'21. "Events like this are extremely important to have because they show a representation of what fields women occupy, allow us to network with peers and speakers all while enlightening us on what is happening in the world around us and how we, too, can make a difference."
The series will continue throughout the coming months and feature Dr. Tracy Davis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Rutgers School of Health Professions. Dr. Davis will discuss the implications and overlap of HIV, aging, and COVID-19. Later in the semester, it will host Dr. Susan Kirk DC'83, Douglass alumna and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Maternal-Fetal Medicine at University of Virginia Medical School. Dr. Kirk will focus on the scope of graduate school and medical education and what changes are to come in response to the pandemic.
The series will run from this month until the end of the Fall 2020 semester.
