The UMKC Health Sciences Diversity and Inclusion Council is hosting a cultural competency in health care speaker series through October.
With financial support from a University of Missouri System Inclusive Excellence grant, sessions are free and open to students, faculty, staff and the community. The council found topics that will be especially beneficial to those at all four UMKC health professions schools: School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Health Studies and School of Pharmacy.
“One of our goals is to provide educational programming that can make an impact on knowledge, self-awareness, attitude and cross-cultural skills,” said Tamica Lige, a staff member at the School of Pharmacy and chair of the council.
Sessions are held in the UMKC Health Sciences Building, 2464 Charlotte St. Registration is encouraged for space considerations, but not required to attend.
Maternal Mortality Rate in African American Mothers
Sept. 4, noon to 12:50 p.m., room 5301
Traci Johnson, M.D., UMKC assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is leading the session.
Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces for the LGBTQIA Community: Session One – The Basics
Sept. 25, noon to 2 p.m., room 4301
Kari Jo Freudigmann, M.S., assistant director, UMKC LGBTQIA programs and services, and Kimberly Tilson, B.S.N., R.N., nurse care manager, TMC Behavioral Health Community Access Program, LGBTQIA patient care advocate, are leading the session.
Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces for the LGBTQIA Community: Session Two – Application and Skills
Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to noon, room 3301
Henry Ng, M.D., a public health LGBT health physician leader and advisor, will facilitate a panel of members from the LGBTQIA community and clinicians in a question-and-answer session followed by breakout sessions with video vignettes and small-group discussions.
Biodiversity and the Medicines from Nature
Oct. 30, noon to 1 p.m.
Cesar Compadre, Ph.D., professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences and director of the Biomedical Visualization Center at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is speaking about ethnopharmacology, the study of medicinal plant use in specific cultural groups and the study of differences in response to drugs by different cultures.