Throughout the Moments to Movement strategic planning process, hundreds of faculty, staff and learners shared their perspectives, experiences and expertise in a range of forums, from interviews with School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, MD, to town hall discussions, to feature videos—to name just a few of these opportunities. We invite you to watch the videos below to hear the stories and voices of many of our School of Medicine community members—the people this plan is anchored in and centered on.
Dean Klotman Talks with M2M Committee Co-Chairs
In this video series, School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, MD, talks with Moments to Movement committee co-chairs about their committees’ process, progress and recommendations.
Dean Mary Klotman, MD, talks with Johnna Frierson, PhD, and Laine Thomas, PhD, co-chairs of the Moments to Movement Graduate Students and Postdoc Anti-Racism Committee, about their committee's efforts and recommendations to dismantle racism.
Ultimately, what we hope is that these ideas and recommendations will be taken and translated into long-lasting, systemic, and structural changes in order to really be impactful—that we build deeper than we have before, and really take a look at how we can adjust our systems and our approaches to create the environment we want to create.
— Johnna Frierson, PhD, Assistant Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Diversity and Inclusion
Dean Mary Klotman, MD, talks with Nancy Knudsen, MD, and Kenyon Railey, MD, co-chairs of the Moments to Movement Health Professions Students Steering Committee, about the committee’s recommendations on how the School can create an anti-racist and more inclusive environment for students.
Over the last nearly a year, just taking a moment to assess our learners, to assess the environment, was an outcome that we are proud of, because of the conversations have changed in the last year in the broader society, and we're starting to ask different questions and listen differently … We want to deliver change, but that process of asking those deeper questions was an important part of that change.
—Kenyon Railey, MD, Medical Director, Duke Physician Assistant Program; Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health
Dean Mary Klotman, MD, talks with Nadine Barrett, PhD, and Kevin Thomas, MD, co-chairs of the Moments to Movement Faculty Anti-Racism and Equity (FARE) Committee, about the committee’s work, and some of their recommendations for dismantling racism and promoting equity for faculty across the School.
I think it's incredibly important that we have an open dialogue as we move forward. That's something that we set out to do throughout this process … Creating these spaces and these opportunities to bring people together to listen, to discuss, to talk and to be honest about what they're experiencing, I think will be really critical.
—Kevin Thomas, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine
Dean Mary Klotman, MD, talks with Betsy Hames and Coral May, co-chairs of the Moments to Movement Staff Committee, about the challenges staff face and the committee's recommendations to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
It's a big job to represent 6,000 people, and we wanted to be sure that the recommendations that we put forth … accurately represent what the staff want and need—and that through those recommendations, biases are addressed and equity is promoted. The School of Medicine produces amazing research and amazing health care. And we want the staff experience to be just as amazing.
—Coral May, Director, School of Medicine Human Resources Service Center
M2M Town Halls
These town hall meetings include meetings co-hosted by several of the Moments to Movement strategic planning committees as well as presentations by School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, MD.
In February, 2021, members of the Faculty for Anti-Racism and Equity (FARE) committee hosted two virtual town hall meetings to discuss updates, progress, and the School’s continuing efforts toward diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism.
(NOTE: Both recordings feature similar content in their first half but cover different topics during the Q&A in the latter part of in the recordings).
On December 7, 2020, Duke Health Chancellor A. Eugene Washington and School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, MD, spoke with leaders of the Moments to Movement committees representing faculty, staff, health professions students, and graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Read a news story about the meeting or watch the town hall below.
On June 16, 2020, in place of her annual State of the School address, Dean Mary Klotman, MD, led a special town hall that launched the Moments to Movement initiative, committing the School of Medicine to dismantling structural racism within the School and creating an equitable, welcoming environment for everyone within its walls. Several faculty and students also shared their stories and how systemic racism affected their daily lives:
- Kirstin Simmons, medical student
- Johnna Frierson, PhD, Assistant Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Diversity and Inclusion
- Kenyon Railey, MD, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health
- Andrew Spector, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology
School of Medicine Voices: Reflections on M2M
The Moments to Movement initiative is bringing together voices from across the School of Medicine to break down systemic racism and make the School safe, welcoming, and open to all members of our community.
In the video below, members of our Moments to Movement committees share their thoughts about why this initiative is needed and what they hope to see in an anti-racist, equitable future.
An anti-racist future at Duke, to me, looks like bringing all of yourself to work. Your culture, your personality, and your race is just a part of who you are; it doesn't define you.
—Claudia Gonzalez-Hunt, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Neurology
In the video below, Lindon Pearson, financial management analyst for the Department of Surgery, and Taylor Sparks-Fulkner, a first-year student in the Master’s of Biomedical Sciences program, discuss how anti-racism and the Moments to Movement initiative will make the School a better place for all of its members.
An anti-racist future at Duke will enable equitable treatment of everyone to produce a thriving work environment, along with greater retention of its members.
—Lindon Pearson, Financial Management Analyst II