Annual Dr. Erik Fleming Annual Lecture Discusses Colorectal Care
The Office of the President and The Urban Health Institute hosted the Dr. Erik Fleming Annual Lecture which honored the legacy of Dr. Fleming and his work in health disparities research.
“The lecture serves as an inspiration for current and future generations of students,” said Caroline Farodolu, Urban Health Institute Program Director. “By exposing them to influential figures and cutting-edge ideas, the event motivates students to pursue excellence in their academic and professional endeavors.”
This year’s featured speaker was Dr. Gifty Kawayke, Arthur W. Fleming, M.D. Research Professor, Assistant Dean of Clinical Medical Education, and Associate Professor in the Division of Colorectal Surgery at the University of Michigan. Her presentation was titled “Global Surgery, Local Impact: Transforming Colorectal Care in Resource-Constrained Regions.”
“I hope to evoke some empathy in folks in the audience today,” said Dr. Kawayke. “I really hope by the end of this talk we feel moved to become part of this engagement or activism that is going on around this in terms of how do we improve access, how do we improve things for folks globally around colorectal care.”
The Dr. Erik Fleming lecture is held each February and promotes awareness and engages discussions around health disparities, place-based research, and health policy for the advancement of underserved and under-resourced communities. Dr. Fleming was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at CDU. His primary research interests were related to the utilization of technology to improve chronic disease management in underserved communities.