Category Archives: Advisors

Advisory Council

Advisors, Wellness

Renewing Diversity #2: Teaching Health Equity – by Carlos Cortés, Adwoa Osei

In July, 2020, the two of us became the inaugural co-directors of the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine’s new Health Equity, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism (HESJAR) curricular initiative.   Since then the teaching of health equity to medical students has been a journey of continuous renewal.   

Publications about health equity emerge nearly every day.  Each year’s student cohort provides new pedagogical challenges.  Every module we teach raises new issues regarding learning and assessment.  We can’t stand still. 

Continue reading Renewing Diversity #2: Teaching Health Equity – by Carlos Cortés, Adwoa Osei →

DL Opinion columns

Celebrating our city’s literary artists – by Deborah Levine

Originally published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press

Chattanooga is a hub for artists and aways has been. On September 25, ArtsBuild will celebrate 55 years of building our city through the Arts. There will also be a celebration of 10 years of the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Awards with this year’s awardees: Cam Busch, Rita Lorraine Hubbard, Alan and Norma Mills, and Anna Baker Vancura. Several Holmberg relatives recently visited Chattanooga’s Mizpah synagogue which Ruth and her Ochs family helped create, as they’d done with The Chattanooga Times. Meeting them was a reminder that the past and present are interwoven through our city’s creative souls and their supporters. Whether it’s architecture, visual arts, dance, or music, we have a rich legacy of artists shaping our community. That legacy includes generations of writers, as demonstrated by the local Authors Fair hosted by the downtown public library this past weekend.    

Continue reading Celebrating our city’s literary artists – by Deborah Levine →

Advisors, Religious Diversity Kit

Perspective on the Jewish New Year 2024 – by Marc Brenman

Rosh Hashonah means that it’s  a new year, but may not feel like one, with Covid returning and Trump threatening to come back. But he’s facing more days in court. The book of Proverbs says “To do righteousness and justice is preferred by God above sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3). The psalmist exhorts: “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (Psalms 82:3).

October 2, 2024, is the beginning of the 10 Jewish High Holy days beginning with Rosh Hashonah. It means “the head of the year.” Some say it’s is the birthday of the universe, the day God created Eve and Adam. 

Continue reading Perspective on the Jewish New Year 2024 – by Marc Brenman →

Levine articles

Election Exhaustion and that Afternoon Nap- by Deborah Levine

1 Comment

As we get closer to the vote for president, the weariness is overwhelming and calls for a nap. I hate being so tired that I get fussy and cranky. But know that it’s helpful to rest rather than act in that state of mind.  I wrote this poem honoring the nap, especially for those whose nerves are frayed and tempers are so hot that you’re tempted to do something really nasty.

Advisors, Authors A-H

Did Tyreek forget the “talk”? – by Terry Howard

“In that moment, (Tyreek) Hill thought he was a member of the Miami Dolphins. He wasn’t. Hill was a Black man in America, and the rules are different,” opined The USA Today’s columnist Mike Freeman. “That’s one of the main points of the talk. Police, I was always told, will try to put you in your place, or put you on the ground.”

Déjà vu all over again? Did we just experience George “I can’t breathe” Floyd 2.0. …..Or 3.0? …..Or 4.0? I’ve lost count.

Like those meddlesome dandelions in the front lawn, here we go with still another police/African American interaction that quickly went south, a storyline that conjures up the late Marvin Gaye’s lyric, “It makes you wanna holler and throw up both your hands!”

Continue reading Did Tyreek forget the “talk”? – by Terry Howard →

Advisors, Politics, Social Issues

Debunking 4 Major Myths of Assault Weapons Ban – by David Grinberg

During the first week of September, the latest mass shooting tragedy occurred at a high school in Winder, Georgia. This has thrust the issue of gun safety reform squarely into the 2024 presidential campaign.

Thus far, there have been more mass shootings than days in the year (385 according to the Gun Violence Archive). Here are a few other shocking statistics to consider:

Advisors, Social Issues

One 9/11 Victim’s Positive Impact Posthumously  – by David B. Grinberg

1 Comment

As another annual 9/11 observance has come and gone, I want to pay tribute to those lost, including a close childhood friend who was working in the Twin Towers as a financial trader on that tragic day.

President Roosevelt (FDR) called the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II: “A date that will live in infamy.” The same can be said of 9/11. 

Even though it’s been 23 years, we must be mindful year-round of all the families, friends and relatives who lost loved ones. The memories and pain of loved ones lost never goes away.

Continue reading One 9/11 Victim’s Positive Impact Posthumously  – by David B. Grinberg →

Advisors

Renewing Diversity # 1: High School Ethnic Studies – by Carlos Cortés

We may be living through the most turbulent half decade in the history of the diversity movement that took off in the late 1960’s.  In the process, the very idea of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been taking a shellacking, including legislative restrictions on its very existence.   Consider some of events.

The publication of The 1619 Project and the ensuing  attack on Critical Race Theory.  The police killing of George Floyd.  The growing strength and virulence of the anti-diversity movement, ranging from President Donald Trump’s 2020 ban on federal diversity training through Florida’s passage of the Stop Woke Act to the national surge of diversity-related book banning.   The 2024 presidential campaign, with inflamed and accusative proclamations about biracial identity, transgender rights, White nationalism, immigration, and, yes, tampons.

Continue reading Renewing Diversity # 1: High School Ethnic Studies – by Carlos Cortés →

Advisors

AI in Sports – by Ainesh Dey

Propelling Sustainable Development in the Commonwealth Debate

The 8th Commonwealth Debate on Sport and Sustainable Development held in London recently shed light on the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in accelerating the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The motion under discussion, ‘Artificial Intelligence is the answer to accelerating the power of sport to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,’ sparked a lively debate among experts in the field. Ultimately, the team advocating for the ethical use of AI in sports emerged victorious, emphasizing the importance of leveraging technology within established frameworks.

The debate, which coincided with the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6th, served as an important platform to explore innovative strategies to harness the power of AI in sports for sustainable development. Rohn Malhotra, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sports TechX and a key member of the winning team, highlighted the opportunities presented by technology to propel progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. His remarks underscored the transformative potential of AI when employed ethically and strategically in the realm of sports.

Continue reading AI in Sports – by Ainesh Dey →

DL Opinion columns

Welcoming Moments of Nature – by Deborah Levine

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

Watching the news this weekend was another exercise in political upheaval. I was grateful for a brief intermission on CBS with its “Sunday Moment in Nature”. Seeing the beautiful mountain scenes and watching the birds up close was heart warming, and much needed. But I needed more so we hopped in the car and drove over to Fort Oglethorpe. I wanted to revisit one of my favorite places, the old log cabin that belonged to the Native American Chief John Ross. The surrounding ponds with their fountains were truly a gift and I hoped that they would have still have birds flocking to them.
Continue reading Welcoming Moments of Nature – by Deborah Levine →