Breaking Bread: a panel discussion on “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
Thursday, April 22, 2021 - 2:00pm
Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and The Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Inmaculada de Melo-Martin, PhD
Professor of Medical Ethics in Medicine, Weil Cornell Medicine
Corrie Moreau, PhD
The Martha N. & John C. Moser Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University Renee
Alexander, PhD
Former Associate Dean of Students and Director, Campus Climate Initiatives, Cornell University Ithaca. Founder, “Breaking Bread” community
HeLa Cells: an Intersection of Race, Gender, and Research Ethics
Thursday, April 22, 2021 - 2:00pm
A prelude to WCM Diversity Week
Please note that the Zoom link for this event will be sent on Thursday, April 22.
Anyone who has ever conducted a cell biology experiment has likely worked with HeLa cells. This event will explore the story of Henrietta Lacks, a young Black woman, and the “mother” of HeLa cells. We will discuss the conditions surrounding the procurement and culturing of cells from her cervical cancer: what are the ethical concerns surrounding establishing the HeLa cell line, and subsequently using DNA samples from her family members without adequate explanation? How does this past ethical breach inform contemporary research practices? Will an increased diversity of research staff, and a recognition of our tendencies toward implicit bias, minimize future ethical infringements?
Sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
"Diversity and Dynamics of Mitochondria in the Nervous System"
Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 12:00pm
Biochemisry and Cell & Developmental Biology Lecture Series presents:
Thomas Misgeld, M.D.
Professor and Director, Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology
Technical University of Munich
