Karmanos Health Equity Book Club

Karmanos Health Equity Book Club

Karmanos Cancer Institute is committed to delivering outstanding and equitable medical care to every patient we serve, as well as their caregivers and family members. This commitment requires us to provide support and empowerment within and beyond the scope of medicine. The purpose of the Health Equity Book Club is to enhance awareness of systematic racism, inequality and misinformation within the medical community. This is achieved through research and reading followed by honest and transparent conversations about difficult topics. Join us as we explore ways in which we can address and respond to issues of disparities in health care delivery to enhance outcomes and better serve all patients. Learn more about Karmanos and McLaren Diversity and Inclusion initiatives here.

Health care professionals, including trainees and students, as well as community members are invited to attend.

Upcoming Event

December 16, 2021
4 p.m.

"Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine" by Damon Tweedy

At this book club meeting, Karmanos is honored to welcome Damon Tweedy, M.D., author of the book to be discussed: “Black Man in a White Coat.”

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Reading or finishing the book is not required, although it is encouraged. The discussion will be engaging to those who have read the book and those who have not.

About Dr. Tweedy

Dr. Damon Tweedy is author of the New York Times bestseller “Black Man in a White Coat,” selected by TIME magazine as one of the Top 10 Non-Fiction books of 2015. He has published articles about race and medicine in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and other medical journals. His columns and op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and various other print publications.

Dr. Damon Tweedy travels frequently to speak to physicians and clinicians, health care companies, medical schools and teaching hospitals and other organizations involved in health and wellness, about the impact of race on the medical profession at all levels.

Dr. Tweedy is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine and Yale Law School. He completed both his medical internship and psychiatry residency at Duke Hospital. He is currently an associate professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine and a staff psychiatrist at the Durham Veteran Affairs Health Care System.

More information

If you have any questions, please contact Danny Inman at inmand@karmanos.org.

Future Health Equity Book Club Meeting Dates:

• December 16, 2021 - "Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine" by Damon Tweedy
• March 31, 2022 - TBD

Mission Statement

The Karmanos Cancer Institute Health Equity Book Club's mission is to build awareness across the Karmanos Community and amongst health care professionals of issues related to and stemming from systematic racism in the health care system and society in the United States. By revealing the contributing factors and results of racism, we seek to highlight an important goal for us as a cancer institute: to expose and better understand the impact of racism on our practice of medicine. We believe that open dialogue within our community of colleagues, patients and families will help to facilitate Karmanos Cancer Institute's goal of equal access and provision of culturally competent, quality care to all patients and their families regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Watch: Karmanos Health Equity Book Club Meeting, September 30

Book Focus: "The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World" by Michael Marmot

Panel

• Patricia Wren, Ph.D., MPH - Chair & Professor of Public Health, Wayne State University
• Eyouab Tadesse - Medical Student at Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Angela Trepanier, MS, CGC - Professor of Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Director, Genetic Counseling Master's Program, Wayne State University
• Bill Winkler - Patient Advocate

Watch: Karmanos Health Equity Book Club Meeting, June 24

Book Focus: "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo

Panel

• Taylor Barrow, Second-Year Medical Student, Wayne State University School of Medicine - Class of 2024
• Barbara Wolf, Ph.D., Director of Behavioral Health and Physical Wellness, McLaren Health Care
• Brad Ropp, M.D.,  Chief Medical Officer, McLaren Medical Group
• Mark Schweitzer, M.D.,  Dean, School of Medicine and Vice President of Health Affairs, Wayne State University

Watch: Karmanos Health Equity Book Club Meeting, March 25

Panel

• M. Roy Wilson, M.D. - President of Wayne State University
• Michael Simon, M.D., MPH - Moderator, Co-Leader, Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team; Medical Director, Cancer Genetic Counseling Service at Karmanos Cancer Institute; Professor of Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Louis A. Penner, Ph.D. - Professor Emeritus of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University
• Mindy Kim - Third Year Medical Student, Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Anitta Orr - Connor Creek Cancer Action Council Member
• Denise Henderson, M.Ed., BSN, RN, OCN - Oncology Nurse and Patient and Community Educator, Karmanos Cancer Institute

Watch: Karmanos Health Equity Book Club Meeting, Oct. 22

Panel

• Michael Simon, M.D., MPH - Moderator, Co-Leader, Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team; Medical Director, Cancer Genetic Counseling Service at Karmanos Cancer Institute; Professor of Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Marquita T. Chamblee, Ph.D. - Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer at Wayne State University
• Rhonda Daily, M.D. - Assistant Professor, Behavioral Sciences Division, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Peter Lichtenberg, Ph.D. - Director of the Institute of Gerontology (IOG) and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute; the Founding Director of the Wayne State University Lifespan Alliance
• Alleda Mack, M.D., Ph.D. - Third-Year Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Karmanos Cancer Institute. She has a degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, completed her M.D. and Ph.D. at University of Chicago followed by internal medicine residency at Loyola University in Chicago
• Ijeoma Opara, M.D., FAAP - Director, Health Equity and Justice in Medicine Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Hayley Thompson, Ph.D. - Faculty Director, Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement; Associate Center Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute; professor, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University of Medicine
• Justin Klamerus, M.D., MMM - President of Karmanos Cancer Hospital & Network