Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, in partnership with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), is delighted to announce that the 2021 Jordan J. Cohen Humanism in Medicine Lecture at the AAMC will be presented by California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP.
Dr. Burke Harris is an award-winning physician, researcher and advocate dedicated to changing the way our society responds to one of the most serious, expensive and widespread public health crises of our time: childhood trauma. Dr. Burke Harris, who was appointed as California’s first-ever surgeon general in 2019, has dedicated much of her career to serving at-risk and underserved communities and combating the root causes of health disparities. She is the founder of the Center for Youth Wellness, an organization leading the effort to advance pediatric medicine, raise public awareness, and transform the way society responds to children exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress.
Dr. Burke Harris is the author of The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity. Her work has been profiled in best-selling books including How Children Succeed by Paul Tough and Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, as well as in Jamie Redford’s documentary Resilience. Dr. Burke Harris is also the recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Rana Awdish
The 2021 Jordan J. Cohen Humanism in Medicine Lecture at the AAMC, titled “Humanism: A Hidden Catalyst for Medical Innovation,” will be presented virtually on Thursday, Oct 7, 2021, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. Dr. Burke Harris will be joined by the 2019 Jordan J. Cohen Humanism in Medicine Lecturer and author of In Shock, Rana Awdish, MD. Both physicians are Gold Humanism Honor Society members. Together, they will discuss how the challenges we all face as humans do not need to define us. Instead, such challenges can give us new insights that deeply inform our work as scientists and healers.
“Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, first surgeon general of California, has created a revolution in understanding the importance of humanistic care for children – and thus, for all of us,” said Dr. Richard I. Levin, President and CEO of the Gold Foundation. “We are honored that she will be giving the 2021 Jordan J. Cohen Lecture, and we look forward to the insightful conversation between Dr. Burke Harris and Dr. Awdish.”
This prestigious Gold lecture is given annually at the AAMC Annual Meeting. Other past lecturers include Dr. George Thibault, immediate Past President of the Macy Foundation; Dr. Don Berwick, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Dr. Louisa Aronson, geriatrician and Pulitzer Prize finalist for writing; Anna Quindlen, bestselling novelist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; and Dr. Abraham Verghese, Stanford Professor and author of Cutting for Stone.
To ensure even more people get the chance to attend this year, the lecture will be offered in advance of the AAMC Annual Meeting and available free to all.
For more insightful sessions, consider joining the AAMC Annual Meeting, which will be held Nov. 8-10. Tune in for an additional Gold Foundation-sponsored conversation: A Voices of Medicine and Society session featuring 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award recipients, Jirayut New Latthivongskorn, MD, MPH, and Denisse Rojas Marquez, MD, MPH, with AAMC President Emeritus Darrell Kirch, MD, on Nov. 9 at 2:15 p.m. ET.
