By Lisa Ryan

On Wednesday, May 11, College of Medicine students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered at the Germantown Cricket Club for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion's James A. Batts Jr. Diversity Dinner. The 6 – 10 p.m. event celebrated the achievements of the graduating students who are from groups that are underrepresented in medicine, and raised $13,500 to support underrepresented students’ success.

The dinner is named in honor of James A. Batts Jr., who joined the staff at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (MCP), a College of Medicine legacy institution, in 1979 and retired in 1989 as senior attending physician and professor emeritus in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Batts had an interest in increasing the number of underrepresented medical students and regularly recruited and mentored students. Each year, Dr. Batts hosted a party at his own expense for underrepresented students and faculty at MCP, gathering attendees at the Cricket Club.

The dinner honors the commitment of the College of Medicine to diversity and inclusion, dating to its roots in MCP, Hahnemann Medical College and the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. The event also raises money for the Dr. James A. Batts Student Fund, which will help students with their education expenses, fees to attend conferences, test preparation materials and tuition support.

The 2022 keynote speaker was Safiyya Shabazz, MD, president of the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania, an affiliate of the National Medical Association (NMA), which aims to serve as a collective voice for Black physicians, increase equity in medicine and eliminate health disparities.

Other speakers included alumni Brittney Bruno, MD ‘19 and Irene Kirkland Mintz, MD, MCP ‘86, as well as members of the MD program class of 2022 Elizabeth Centurion, William Justice and Kingsley Ozongwu.

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