Black Presence: Decolonizing research, teaching & health
Join us on June 26 from 10:00am-5:00pm, for the Department of Physiology’s second symposium on Physiology and Black health.
The event will take place in the Medical Sciences Building (room 2170) and the David Naylor Commons at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus.
The symposium is geared towards those in the Temerty Medicine ecosystem as well as interested parties from the University of Toronto and other universities in Ontario more broadly.
Here's the plan for the day:
|
10:00am |
Registration and light breakfast (Naylor Commons/MSB 2170) |
|
10:45-10:55am |
Opening remarks |
|
10:55am-12:00pm |
What We Think, We Become (MSB 2170) Keynote presentation by Dr. Andre Fenton, New York University |
|
12:00 – 12:15pm |
Transition break |
|
12:15 – 1:15pm |
General Lunch (MSB 2170/Naylor Commons) Documentary screening: The standard of care (Black maternal health in crisis; starting at 12:30pm) Trainee Lunch (MSB 3227/3231) *pre-registration required |
|
1:30 – 3:00pm |
Black Presence: Decolonizing research, teaching & health (MSB 2170) Panel presentations & discussion with Drs. Andre Fenton (New York University), Kafi Ealey (Toronto Metropolitan University), Ola Osman (University of Toronto) |
|
3:00 – 3:15pm |
Refreshment break |
|
3:15 – 4:00pm |
Connecting with Community of Support: Temerty Office of Access and Outreach (MSB 2170) Presentation by Mark Dennis, Outreach Coordinator, OAO |
|
4:00 – 4:05pm |
Closing Remarks |
|
4:05 – 5:00pm |
Reception and Posters (Naylor Commons) |
This year’s symposium features Black scholars who will speak to cultural, historical, and contemporary perspectives on research, teaching, and health-related pursuits in the sciences. Their presence and perspectives will spark reflection, celebrate diverse points of view, and promote critical thinking. Black presence itself is an act towards decolonizing academia; as such, we are thrilled to welcome this year’s lineup of speakers:
-
Dr. Kafi Ealey of the School of Nutrition at Toronto Metropolitan University, is an Assistant Professor. She is passionate about examining the biological variations in metabolic systems that contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes, and she studies adipose (fat) tissue.
-
Dr. Ola Osman is an Assistant Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She earned her Ph.D. in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar and holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies from the University of Oxford, where she was supported by a Clarendon Scholarship.
Her research examines the global dimensions of anti-Blackness through the lenses of international relations, political theory, and African politics. She focuses on how racial logics shape state formation, post-conflict governance, and international institutions, with particular attention to Liberia and postcolonial Africa. Her work draws on Black political thought, feminist theory, and decolonial approaches, and engages the intersecting histories of war, migration, and racial capitalism.
-
Dr. Andre Fenton, a Professor and the Chair of Neural Science at New York University, will talk to us about “What we think we become” in his keynote address. He researches the molecular, neural, behavioral, and computational aspects of memory and outside of academia, works to deliver technology to low-resource communities. André communicates through diverse media; he suspects that solutions to many of our greatest challenges will also require that most people correctly understand the nature of our minds.
Poster Session
In addition to an interactive panel with our speakers, including a Q&A session, this year we are including presentations from attendees who work on topics broadly related to Black teaching, research, and/or health. Looking forward to capping off a great day by engaging with presenters during a reception in the Naylor Commons !
Registration for this event is now closed, but there is still space in MSB 2170 if anyone wants to drop in for the keynote or panel presentations.