By Caroline Cencer
On October 12, the School of Medicine Basic Sciences hosted the inaugural Hispanic Heritage Month Conference and Workshop, “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation,” to celebrate Hispanic and Latinx* scientists.
Co-moderated by Felysha Jenkins, assistant dean for professional development and community engagement in Basic Sciences, and Elsie Spencer, visiting postdoctoral fellow, the event provided participants with the opportunity to engage with talented members of the Latinx research community at Vanderbilt and beyond.
The hybrid event featured a variety of speakers, including keynote Luis Fernando Santana from the University of California, Davis, and Vanderbilt’s own Mariana Byndloss, as well as an awards ceremony to honor Latinx scientists at the local and national levels. According to Jenkins, both the in-person and online audiences were engaged in the talks, making the inaugural Hispanic Heritage Month Conference and Workshop a great success.
One of the awardees, Verónica A. Segarra, thanked the organizers for their efforts and for lifting the community up in a creative way. “Thanks for this reminder that I am appreciated and that I am part of a larger community,” she said on Twitter. “I will never forget this.”
Jenkins is excited to keep revisiting this event in future years. “As we move forward, I hope our Hispanic Heritage Month Conference continues to grow and showcase the vast talent of Hispanic researchers at our institution and around the globe.”
The full list of speakers and awardees can be found below.
Speakers
Renato J. Aguilera, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso
Caroline Palavicino-Maggio, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
Luis Fernando Santana, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
Dr. Mariana Xavier Byndloss, D.V.M., Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Jose A. Gomez, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Elsie Calderón Spencer, Ed.D., M.P.A., Vanderbilt University
Estevão Scudese, Ph.D., Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Steven Marañón Damo, Ph.D., Fisk University
Felysha Jenkins, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University