The Student National Medical Association will celebrate Black History Month with a variety of speaker events throughout the month of February that highlight the stories and experiences of faculty and alumni. All events will be open to the public.
Patrice A. Harris, M.D., a West Virginia University School of Medicine alumna, will serve as the keynote speaker for the series. Dr. Harris was the 174th President of the American Medical Association and the first African American woman elected to that position.
Harris is a board-certified psychiatrist from Atlanta and has diverse experience as a private practicing physician, county public health director and patient advocate. She has deep experience and expertise in public policy on both legislative and regulatory fronts and at all levels of government.
She is a visiting professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and serves as Chief Health and Medical Editor of Everydayhealth.com.
Growing up in Bluefield, West Virginia, Dr. Harris dreamt of entering medicine at a time when few women of color were encouraged to become physicians. Dr. Harris spent her formative years at WVU, earning a BA in psychology, an MA in counseling psychology and, ultimately, a medical degree. It was during this time that her passion for helping children emerged, and she completed her psychiatry residency and fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry at the Emory University School of Medicine. She serves on the Board of Governors of West Virginia University as well as the boards of UBSI, Quartet Health and Acadia Health.
Kerri Woodberry, M.D., an associate professor and chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery within the Department of Surgery, and Mahmoud Abdelwahab, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, will also present during the speaker series and share their individual stories and perspectives.
Dr. Woodberry is the program director of the only plastic surgery residency program in West Virginia. She was inducted into the WVU Medicine chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) in 2023 and was recently elected to Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society, with induction slated for March 2024.
Schedule of events:
- Thursday, February 8, at noon, in Health Sciences Center North room 1905, Dr. Woodberry will present a lecture titled “Black Trailblazers in Medicine.” Attend on Zoom
- Wednesday, February 21, at 1 p.m. in Health Sciences Center North room 1909, Dr. Harris will present a lecture titled “Climbing Mountains to Give Voice.” Attend on Zoom
- Thursday, February 29, at noon in Health Sciences Center North room 1905, Dr. Abdelwahab will present a lecture titled “Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality” and focus on Black health disparities. Attend on Zoom
To RSVP, click here.
The Student National Medical Association is committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students, addressing the needs of underserved communities and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians.
Learn more about the Student National Medical Association.
