Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. CelebrationMonday, January 17, 2022
The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration emphasizes the continuing struggle for civil rights in the United States and around the world. This year, the focus was on the history of race and racism in science and medicine. As Dr. King said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.”
For the 2022 MLK Jr. Day Celebration, Gustavus was joined virtually by Dr. Carolyn Roberts. As a professor at Yale University, Roberts' teaching blends history with medical sociology and public health to explore present-day crises related to race, racism, and health. Roberts is a dynamic speaker whose interests involve medicine as it relates to the Atlantic slave trade playing a critical role in modern medicine.
Monday, January 17, 2022
MLK Memorial Lecture from 10-11:20 a.m. CST
Historical Roots of Racism in Science and Medicine
This talk offers critical historical perspectives to current problems of race and racism in science and medicine.
Virtual Facilitated Discussions happened from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Student Breakout with Dr. Roberts from 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Healthcare Ethics: For Future Providers, Researchers, and Administrators
An informal Q & A session took place, especially for students interested in any aspect of healthcare or research.
Faculty Breakout with Dr. Roberts from 3:30-5 p.m.
How Design of STEM Curriculum Can Advance Inclusion
An informal Q & A session took place and was open to all faculty.
Dr. Carolyn Roberts is an historian of medicine and science at Yale University. She holds a joint appointment in the departments of History/History of Science and Medicine, and African American Studies. She also holds a secondary appointment at Yale School of Medicine in the Program in the History of Medicine. Her research interests concern the history of race, science, and medicine in the context of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade. This includes attention to the critical role played by African and African-descended medical and health knowledge in the Atlantic world.
Dr. Roberts is an award-winning educator who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the history of race, science, and medicine from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Her teaching blends history with medical sociology and public health to explore present-day crises related to race, racism, and health.
Dr. Roberts is also a popular workshop leader and speaker. She brings critical historical perspectives to anti-racism interventions in science, medicine, and public health. Dr. Roberts has contributed to institutional efforts to diversify STEM, including anti-racist pedagogy and curricula. Dr. Roberts has worked with a variety of corporations, non-profit organizations, and institutions including PBS/NOVA, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Mt. Sinai Morningside, and several colleges and universities.
Dr. Roberts received an M.A. and PhD from Harvard University, an M.A. from Andover Newton Theological School, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.
This event is sponsored by the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Department, the Office of the Chaplains, the Center for Inclusive Excellence, and the President's Office.