Dear DUSON Community,

Celebrating history promotes awareness, educates, and offers a way to honor the great pioneers and leaders before us. The Office of the Dean and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion look forward to celebrating Black History Month with our community and reflecting on the commitment we continually make to improve our environment and the communities we serve, while addressing our own systems and making greater effort to confront and reduce our biases.  

In June 2020, our community convened the DUSON Racial Justice Task Force and Racial Justice Committees in response to the Moments to Movement initiative developed by the Duke University Health System. This diverse group of our community members developed recommendations and strategies to improve the systems at DUSON, strategies that we continue to integrate into strategic planning and advance upon.  

Our strength as a DUSON community is our common goal of racial and social justice, health equity, and our embracement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as our core values. Our acknowledgement of our differences strengthens our ability to educate, research, and provide exemplary health care within our walls and beyond.  

During this month of February and every month going forward, take the opportunity for self-reflection and determine how we are all part of the change that we need.  

Below, please see resources and programming that we invite you to join. 

Sincerely,
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, RN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, FAAN
Dean, Duke University School of Nursing
Vice Chancellor, Nursing Affairs, Duke University

Brigit M. Carter, PhD, RN, CCRN, FAAN 
Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Events

"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Camera and Black Social Movement, Featuring Phil Allen Jr.: February 9, 2022, 12-1 p.m. 
Phil Allen Jr. presents “The Camera and Black Social Movement.” He examines how the camera has become an indispensable tool for the Black community to highlight and show their experiences and injustices and spark cultural change. Register in advance.  

Medical Ethics and Racial Justice Series 
The DUSON Community Health Improvement Partnership Program (D-CHIPP), along with the DUSON Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), are co-sponsoring a four-part documentary and discussion series on medical ethics and racial justice. Please see the information below about the selected documentaries. Following each film, we will hold a brief conversation about the topic. Upon registering, you will receive a calendar invite with Zoom meeting link. Visit the DUSON website for more information about this series. 

• February 16, 2022, 3 p.m.: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
• March 16, 2022, 3 p.m.: Pt. I: "The Best of Enemies," the story of Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis 
• March 23, 2022, 3 p.m.: Pt. II: "The Best of Enemies," the story of Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis 

Resources 

• Duke Health: Moments to Movement
• DUSON: Racial Justice Task Force 
• Black History Month Zoom background and graphics (S:\Team Projects\Marketing & Communications)