LaShyra Nolen | |
---|---|
Born | 1995 (age 28–29) |
Education | Harvard Kennedy School Harvard Medical School Loyola Marymount University |
Known for | Activism Social media |
LaShyra "Lash" Nolen (born 1995) is an American medical student and science communicator. She is the first Black woman to become class president of the Harvard Medical School. In 2020 Nolen was selected by The Root as one of their Young Futurists.
Nolen was born in Compton, California. [1] She grew up in Los Angeles and spent the later part of her childhood in Rancho Cucamonga. During her third grade of school, Nolen competed in a school science competition, where she studied the patterns of fish. After winning first place, Nolen told her grandmother that she either wanted to become a brain surgeon or an astronaut. [2] She attended Los Osos High School where she served as class president all four years. [3] Nolen attended Loyola Marymount University (LMU) where she studied health and human sciences. [4] At LMU she served as the student body president and was involved in voter registration programs. [4] As part of her undergraduate research, Nolen created a diabetes management programme for women at a domestic violence shelter. [4] She was the first member of her family to earn a bachelor's degree in science. [2]
Nolen was made a Fulbright scholar in 2017, and moved to A Coruña where she worked in public health. Her research involved understanding how Spanish people understood obesity. On her return, Nolen joined the AmeriCorps programme as a health coach at the Heartland Innovation Centre in Chicago. [2] [5] Here she led initiatives to improve clinic accessibility and improve awareness of health programmes. [4]
She started her medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 2019. [6] That year, Nolen became the first Black woman to be elected class president of the Harvard Medical School. [7] [8] [9] Under her guidance, the medical school took part in more outreach programmes and recognised the work of non-academic members of the community. [7] [10] She is an activist for racial equality, and has spoken about the healthcare inequality experienced by Black people in the United States. [7] [11] In 2020 Nolen was selected by The Root as one of their Young Futurists. [12]
Nolen has studied healthcare inequality in the United States, with a particular focus on why ethnic minorities were so at-risk from coronavirus disease. [13] [14] In the aftermath of the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, Nolen spoke up for Black people, saying that the graphic videos being shared on social media could be traumatising. [15] [16]
Nolen has worked to eradicate racism from academic medicine and medical education. She has provided a series of guidance for clinicians, academics and medical educators, including encouraging people do their homework before reaching out to Black colleagues, reflecting on their workplaces and personal practise and compensating Black trainees for their time. [17] Her June 2020 New England Journal of Medicine perspective “How Medical Education Is Missing the Bull’s-eye”, summarised the failings of academic medical programmes at training a generation of non-biased physicians. [18]
During the COVID-19 pandemic Nolen launched the We Got Us project, which looked to provide accurate information and support to the Boston community throughout the pandemic. [19] [20] [21] In recognition of her public health efforts, she was invited to the White House equity round table.
She is a regular contributor to WBUR-FM and the HuffPost. [22] [23]
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States. Harvard Medical School (HMS) provides patient care, medical education, and research training through its 15 clinical affiliates and research institutes such as Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, McLean Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, The Baker Center for Children and Families, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Harvard Medical School also partners with newer entities such as Harvard Catalyst, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Center for Primary Care, and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is a private medical school in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally a part of Morehouse College, the school became independent in 1981.
Yvette Roubideaux is an American doctor and public health administrator. She is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
Paula Adina Johnson is an American cardiologist and the current president of Wellesley College. She is the first Black woman to serve in this role.
Joan Y. Reede is an American physician. She is Harvard Medical School's inaugural dean for diversity and community partnership in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Partnership. She is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine. She is known for creating programs that mentor and support minority physicians and female physicians. Alumni of her programs have created a 501(c)(3) organization called The Reede Scholars in her honor.
Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O. is an American physician, academic, and the first African-American woman to serve as dean of a U.S. medical school; she is also known as the sister of Diana Ross along with being the aunt of actress Tracee Ellis Ross, and singer-songwriters Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Evan Ross. She majored in biology and chemistry at Wayne State University, graduating in 1965. Then, in 1969, she entered Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Ross-Lee then went on to open her own private family practice, teach as a professor, and hold other positions within the medical community. In 1993, she was elected as the first woman dean of a medical school, at Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has earned several awards and honors for her work and accomplishments.
Brittany N. Packnett Cunningham is an American activist and the co-founder of Campaign Zero. She served as executive director for Teach for America in St. Louis, Missouri, then as a member of President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Valerie Montgomery Rice is an American obstetrician, gynecologist, and college administrator. She is the president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine.
S. Lee Merritt is an American civil rights lawyer and activist, most known for his work on racial justice issues.
Reshma Kewalramani, is the president and chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company based in Boston, Massachusetts, as of April 1, 2020. She is the first female CEO of a large US biotech company. She was previously the chief medical officer and vice president of global medicines development and medical affairs at Vertex.
On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. Three white men, who later claimed to police that they assumed he was a burglar, pursued Arbery in their trucks for several minutes, using the vehicles to block his path as he tried to run away. Two of the men, Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, were armed in one vehicle. Their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, was in another vehicle. After overtaking Arbery, Travis McMichael exited his truck, pointing his weapon at Arbery. Arbery approached McMichael and a physical altercation ensued, resulting in McMichael fatally shooting Arbery. Bryan recorded this confrontation and Arbery's murder on his cell phone.
Thea L. James is an American emergency medical physician as well as an Associate Professor, Associate Chief Medical Officer, and Vice President of the Mission at the Boston Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dolores Mercedes Franklin is an American dentist, health policy advocate, and author. She was the first African American woman to graduate from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1974.
Running while Black is a sardonic description of racial profiling experienced by Black runners in the United States and Canada. In the United States, jogging gained popularity after World War II, and has largely been portrayed by American media as an activity typically engaged in by white people; joggers of color are treated with suspicion. Black runners report taking precautions such as wearing bright colors to appear non-threatening, avoiding running outside of daylight hours, running in groups for safety, and avoiding running fast enough to appear to be "running away from something."
Katrina Alison Armstrong is an American internist. She is the chief executive officer of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Armstrong is the first woman to lead Columbia's medical school and medical center. She was the first woman to hold the position of Physician-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2013 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.
Jennifer Fan-Yu Tseng is an American surgical oncologist and gastrointestinal surgeon. In 2017, she became the first woman in Boston to lead surgical units at a medical school and teaching hospital.
Michelle Evelyn Morse is an American internist. She is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital and co-founded EqualHealth and Social Medicine Consortium. In 2021, Morse was named the first Chief Medical Officer of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
We Stand With You is a 2020 mural of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor by artist Christian Grijalva, installed in Portland, Oregon.
Bernadette "Bernie" Lim is an American physician and community organizer. She is the founder of the Freedom Community Clinic based in Oakland, CA. She is lecturer faculty at the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at San Francisco State University.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)