🌟 Presented by UC Davis Office of Undergraduate Education

Inequities in health care delivery mean that many people who most need health care have limited or no access to it. Race, socioeconomic and employment status, mental health issues, gender and sexual orientation can all impact patients’ access and experiences.

The 2026 Critical Medical Humanities speaker series will examine medical, legal, socio-cultural and historical perspectives on this critical topic. Hosted by Professor Emily Merchant as a part of the Quarter at Aggie Square curriculum, speakers include faculty from the UC Davis, UCSF, and UC Davis Health, as well as contributors to the book DNA, Race, and Reproduction. RSVP for the speaker series to attend in person or via zoom (https://airtable.com/apphg5p12IcTgWohX/pagwvTWRnaEJXea4N/form)

Speaker Series:

Jan. 12: "Catholic Hospitals: Refuge and Rejection"
Speaker: Meaghan O'Keefe

Jan. 26: "Transforming the US Demographic Table: Critical Evaluation to Enhance the Trustworthiness of Biomedical Data Science and Equity in Precision Medicine"
Speaker: Alice Popejoy

Feb. 2: "Xicana/x Indigena Futures: Re-rooting through Mesoamerican Traditional Medicines"
Speaker: Susy Zepeda

Feb. 9: "How Not to Change the World"
Speaker: Mark Fedyk

Feb. 23: “Hard to Reach”: Dr. Calu Lester, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and Black AIDS Activism, 1984-1991"
Speaker: Antoine Johnson

March 2: "Racism and Medicine"
Speaker: Tina Rulli

March 9: "Decoding and Challenging Antifatness in the Health Sciences"
Speaker: Marquisele Mercedes