Baylor College of Medicine's Office of Community Engagement and Humanities Expression and Arts Lab (HEAL) will host "An Evening of Memory, Medicine and the Arts: Stories from Katrina" at the historic El Dorado Ballroom, 2310 Elgin Street, Houston, Texas. The event begins at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 and commemorates the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, which displaced more than 100,000 from New Orleans to Houston and reshaped the cultural and medical landscape of both cities.
This unique event brings together health professionals, artists and community members to explore the intersections of public health, trust and storytelling. Through dialogue and performance, the event will examine how collective memory influences disaster response and public health policy.
Featured speakers and performers include:
- Brent Kaziny, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, medical director of emergency medicine at Texas Children's Hospital and Katrina Code Grey Hero Award recipient for his efforts at Tulane Hospital during the storm.
- Sheri Fink, M.D., Ph.D., Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "Five Days at Memorial," which chronicles the impact of Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans.
- Erika Dickerson-Despenza, playwright and cultural memory worker.
- Farren Clark, photographer and researcher on Katrina survivor narratives.
- Plus a special performance by a local jazz musician.
The evening will feature a panel discussion on building trust in public health, ethical storytelling and the role of arts in preserving memory. This event is eligible for continuing medical education credits.
