Prior to discussion, attendees will watch online documentary: ‘Open Season: Racism and Health Disparities, the Two Deadliest Diseases in America’


  Wednesday, September 23, 2020
  Community, Announcements

By News and Internal Communications

By Dimitra Trejo

 

WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24

WHO: Five Former U.S. Surgeons General. Moderated by Dorothy Jones-Davis, Ph.D.

WHERE: Members of the Public may purchase $20 admission tickets online at: https://epay.tcu.edu/med_event/

 

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Five former U.S. Surgeons General will discuss the problem of racial inequity in health care in the United States during COVID-19, at an online roundtable discussion, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.

The UTRGV School of Medicine and other prestigious medical organizations, including Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center, are presenting partners.

The 6:30 p.m. panel discussion will be available for viewing online and will be moderated by Dorothy Jones-Davis, Ph.D., founding executive director of Nation of Makers, a nonprofit that helps America’s maker organizations through community building, resource sharing and advocacy.

The five former Surgeons General participating in the roundtable Q&A include:

 

  • Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General, who served during former President George W. Bush's administration.
  • Joycelyn Elders, 15th Surgeon General and the country’s first Black surgeon general, who also served under Clinton.
  • Vivek Murthy, 19 th Surgeon General, who served during former President Barack Obama’s administration.
  • Antonia Novello, 14 th Surgeon General, who served during former President George H.W. Bush's administration.
  • David Satcher, 16 th Surgeon General, who served during former President Bill Clinton's administration.

GRIM STATISTICS

Dr. Adela Vasquez
Dr. Adela Valdez, UTRGV School of Medicine associate dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity. (UTRGV Photo)

Dr. Adela Valdez, UTRGV School of Medicine associate dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity, said the event will provide critical information that is important not only for medical professionals in the region, but also to the entire Valley community.

“We have seen the staggering numbers of COVID-19 cases right here in our own backyard,” she said, “and we need to continue to shine light on this issue so we can overcome it.” 

  • As of Sept. 15, Texas had almost 700,000 cases of COVID-19 and 14,515 related deaths.
  • Current data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows that 40 percent of the total cases are among Hispanics, and 11 percent with Blacks.
  • In Texas, 56 percent of those who died from Covid-19 are Hispanic, and 11 percent are Black.

 

HOW TO VIEW THE EVENT

Beginning at 6 p.m., registered audience members will watch an online screening of the documentary ‘Open Season: Racism and Health Disparities, the Two Deadliest Diseases in America.’ (The panel discussion will follow.)

“This film is designed to shed light on the current state of emergency and inspire people to go beyond their perceived limitations and become more active participants in what the future of American can be,” said Crystal R. Emery, who directed the documentary.



ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.