Preview: Feb. 14, 2017

By Mini Kahlon | Vice Dean for Strategy & Partnerships, Dell Medical School

This week’s lecture is one by immigrants. One of them is from London, and traveled to Malawi with one of our most well-known documentary film makers to bring back a powerful story of innovating to improve the health of a community. The other came from Puerto Rico and used her education and experience to help communities craft personal solutions to the challenges they face. The first is my husband, and the second is one of my newest friends and colleagues. Raj Patel and Lourdes Rodriguez are sure to provoke as they use this upcoming lecture to share stories that reveal unexpected solutions to challenges in health. In addition, they will remind us that some of the most pressing issues in health don’t look like health care. Food, parks, transportation, environment, and jobs and income are not the usual fare of a medical school, but for a school that focuses on health instead of just health care, these factors become paramount. On a personal note, I’ve wanted to find a stage to intersect with Raj and this is the first one we’ll share. After all, debating across the dining table is okay, but much more fun to do it in an auditorium with an audience.