Students, Faculty and Staff,
Greetings, all. I come to you in a time of celebration.
As we have said in this space, we have had much to celebrate this month. And as Black History Month winds down, I’d like to take a moment to review some of our amazing students and alumni.
- First, I’d like to recognize RHB student Ke’La Porter, who was recently honored with the inaugural Leadership Legacy Award, presented by the MLK Center. An exemplary student with a background in athletic training, her research focuses on the impact neurocognitive function has on dynamic postural stability. We are extremely proud to have Ke’La represent our College.
- Second, I must recognize alumna Vivian Lasley-Bibbs, who graduated with a PA degree in 2010 and now serves as our state’s Director of the Office of Health Equity. She is literally in charge of helping our underrepresented populations get healthier. What a responsibility.
- Lastly, I’d like to draw your attention to our Facebook and Instagram pages, where for the last few weeks we have been featuring African American pioneers in health care. Names like Prentiss Harrison, Dr. Marsha Grant-Ford and Ronnie Barnes should always be remembered.
While there were other stories that appeared on our website this month, I want to reaffirm our commitment in Health Sciences: We want to recognize Black History all year long.
These kinds of stories will continue. We always want to celebrate the success of our alumni and students while also acknowledging both the historical and current inequity — and the work that each of us must do to continue to dismantle systemic racism.
I encourage you all to do this as we move forward.
Remember: Just because the month of February ends, our mission to keep fighting this battle continues.
Stay well,
Scott