Department of Surgery Launches Quarterly Speaker Series for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To create an open dialogue on diversity, equity and inclusion, the Department of Surgery is offering a quarterly speaker series to all faculty and staff. Led by Dr. Sharee Wright, associate vice chair of Education for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the sessions will provide opportunities for attendees to engage with invited speakers and learn about their life experiences, while receiving DE&I credits.    

All faculty, staff and residents are invited to join us on Thursday, June 3 at 1 p.m. in Bioengineering 110 or virtually for our inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Talk. Our invited presenter will be Judge Stephanie Ganaway-Pasley, who will share her experience of shattering the glass ceiling as an African-American woman.  The Honorable Stephanie L.W. Ganaway-Pasley has served on the bench as a Summary Court Judge for over 12 years. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Pasley and Associates, providing business mediation services to private and public sectors.

The Chair’s Office piloted this series as part of their staff meetings, spearheaded by Jamie Meyer, vice chair of Finance and Administration. Dr. Cheryl Brown, director of Research Development, and Keller Lee, Fiscal Analyst and member of the Safe Zone Advisory Council, were appointed to establish a series of speakers who, having faced an array of social and racial inequities, will share their personal journeys, thereby increasing awareness to racial and diversity-related issues. This past month, Ms. Sunshine Goodman, a transgender black woman, was part of the pilot program who shared with the chair’s office staff what it was like to walk in her shoes.  Ms. Goodman will present as part of the department-wide lecture series in the future.