Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

Dr. James Ballard has been a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy since 2004. He is currently a clinical assistant professor and the clinical director of the University Balance and Mobility Clinic (formerly Rehabilitation and Wellness Clinic). Dr. Ballard is a board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric and women's health physical therapy. His chief clinical interests are Parkinson's disease, male and female pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, balance evaluation and training and vestibular rehabilitation. He is a member of the Deep Brain Stimulation Team at the University Health.

Anxiety is now identified by the World Health Organization as the most prevalent global mental health concern that is on the rise (WHO, 2016). Yet, not much is known about ‘anxiety’ and the specific symptoms, or how we can have an impact on them in music therapy. There are several approaches, and music psychotherapy is one of them.

Danielle Olden joins the Tanner Humanities Center with her book "Racial Uncertainties" and race in America.

Presented by the University of Utah Academic Freedom Committee, Chris Finan, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, will speak about his book, "How Free Speech Saved Democracy: The Untold History of How the First Amendment Became an Essential Tool for Securing Liberty and Social Justice."

At TEDxSaltLakeCity, TED Talks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

Disability scholar and writer Jim Ferris presents a provocative perspective on how to enact autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.  He'll discuss how the characteristics of "crip poetry"--written by and about bodies labeled "abnormal"--align with the principles of medical ethics, showing health-care professionals how essential it is to challenge stereotypes, foreground atypical perspectives, and emphasize embodiment by being aware of the centrality of the body in all our lives.

The 5th Annual Health Humanities Lecturer, Jim Ferris, PhD, is an award-winning poet and performance artist, author of Slouching Towards Guantanamo, Facts of Life, and The Hospital Poems. Past president of the Society for Disability Studies and the Disabled & D/deaf Writers Caucus, he has won awards for creative nonfiction and mathematics as well as performance and poetry.

What does it mean to do genuinely intersectional research on disability, race, Indigeneity and ethnicity? Five scholars explain their current projects and discuss their intersectional topics and methods.

Carmen Maria Machado joins the Tanner Humanities Center during banned books week to talk about her work and being an LGBTQIA+ author.

Presented through historical and advocacy perspectives, the new book "Social Work and the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism" shares a cultivated collection of evidence- and practiced-based research examining various forms of interpersonal and structural racism and their impact on both physical and mental health, as well as social well-being. The book’s co-editor, Dr. Martell Teasley, will provide an overview of the book and discuss the anti-racist social work framework it aims to produce.

In this community-building event we will enjoy food, music, and a Pecha Kucha Presentation by Dr. Armando Solorzano. We will be sharing photos of our loved ones who have passed away so remember to bring a photo to share on our ofrenda!

Most people are good at managing things around them–their families, their homes, their jobs, even their companies. But managing their own feelings is a big mystery, and an enormous barrier to happiness. This talk introduces the amazing science of emotional self-management. With knowledge and a few changes in habits, each of us can take control of our emotions and lead lives that are more satisfying and successful.

The first advanced guard of the 24th Infantry—an all-black regiment formed in 1869—arrived in Salt Lake City in October 1896. The men were known as Buffalo Soldiers, so nicknamed by Native Americans at the time. They were deployed to fight across the frontier and abroad. At Fort Douglas, the men filled every role from musicians to members of the cavalry. One of the first Buffalo Soldiers to be buried at Fort Douglas was Lee Shipman, who died June 3, 1897. Shipman was born in the early 1840s in Kentucky and enlisted in the Colored Volunteer Army, a precursor to the 24th Infantry, as an “Enlisted Recruit Slave” in 1865. In 1868, he officially enlisted in the Army as a free man, after which he had 32 years of exceptional military service. Three months after Shipman retired in Utah, he died of a cerebral abscess.

The term “Veterans Law” often evokes thoughts of navigating the complicated bureaucracy of the Department of Veterans Affairs that feels like it requires a separate degree to understand. However, veterans represent a unique nexus of mental health and societal issues that present a wide variety of legal needs.

Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to hear from author Melissa S. Kearney. Dr. Kearney is the Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, Director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, a National Bureau of Economic Research associate, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She will discuss her book, "The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind." All students are welcome.

Understanding and Addressing Structural Determinants of Sleep Disparities, presented by Dr. Dayna Johnson, Emory University. Special Grand Rounds presentation co-sponsored by the DFPM Division of Public Health and the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center (DMRC).

The University of Utah, is excited to present an in-conversation between trans-masc, ENBY Latinx, author and alumnus, Miles Borrero, and beloved U of U Associate Professor, Robert Scott Smith, about his recently released memoir— BEAUTIFUL MONSTER: A BECOMING. Get ready to dive into Borrero's fascinating life and transition and find out how he ended up at the University of Utah after growing up in Colombia during the Escobar years. The discussion will center around the book's integral themes of queerness, transness, death, and more importantly, love. We will end with a Q&A.

Help us honor 11 of our many Utah veterans at this year’s Commemoration. At this full military dress ceremony, including the U’s ROTC Color Guard, Wasatch District Pipe and Drum, and the Utah National Guard Band, we honor 11 outstanding Utah veterans. The ceremony is open to the public and all are invited to attend.

LaToya Ruby Frazier was born in 1982 in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Her artistic practice spans a range of media, including photography, video, performance, installation, art and books, and centers on the nexus of social justice, cultural change, and commentary on the American experience. In various interconnected bodies of work, Frazier uses collaborative storytelling with the people who appear in her artwork to address topics of industrialism, Rust Belt revitalization, environmental justice, access to healthcare, access to clean water, Workers’ Rights, Human Rights, family and communal history. This builds on her commitment to the legacy of 1930s social documentary work and 1960s and ‘70s conceptual photography that address urgent social and political issues of everyday life.

The Pediatric Grand Rounds weekly lecture series covers cutting-edge research and practical clinical applications, for hospital and community-based pediatricians, registered nurses, and other physicians and practitioners who care for children of any age.

In Native communities, aunties often function in multiple roles, including serving as an additional mother to children, a family and community helper, a healer and a source of strength, a back-stop in times of need, and “an extra person in your corner.” Utilizing this concept of family strength, the innovative California-based My Two Aunties (M2A) program has employed the values of “helping and healing, as if it is your own family,” to drastically reduce the need for foster care, prevent child maltreatment, and enhance overall family wellness in Native communities. Join the founding “auntie” behind this program, Karan D. Kolb, as she discusses how M2A supports strengthening families, instills cultural family values, and addresses trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

Artist lecture on identity and traditions as seen through the lens of Native American culture and the unique perspective of Indigenous artist Gregg Deal.

Dr. Ashlee Bird's book, Red Dead Redemption, examines the complex relationships that different players have with video games and undertakes an exploration of the Red Dead Redemption series, focusing on what the games have offered, (or not offered), to their player bases.

Presented by Jose Morales Moreno, MD, discuss the results of a quality improvement project to increase pediatric type 2 diabetes screening of University of Utah primary care clinics and review current AAP type 2 diabetes screening recommendations and possible effects on at-risk groups.

Join the Department of Pediatrics to go over the ways in which caregivers' own racial attitudes, personal values, and unconscious biases influence health care and patient experiences.

Join us and the Northwest native American Center of Excellence to learn about the formation; guiding principles; and unique, culturally grounded approaches to improve the tribal health workforce and the health of all people.

Join PBS Utah and KRCL for a celebration of the award-winning talk show Roots, Race & Culture. Together we will have an invigorating discussion about what's in store for Season 4 including a guest performance by Plan-B Theatre. Don't miss this bold conversation with the hosts of the show Danor Gerald and Lonzo Liggins and guests Michelle Love-Day from Love-Day Educational Consulting, and Jerry Rapier from Plan-B Theatre. The discussion will be moderated by the long-time friend of the program, Lara Jones of KRCL RadioACTive.

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