BALTIMORE, MD — More than 650 people attended the 15th Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture in person and virtually on Saturday, Oct. 4. The lecture was held at The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Turner Auditorium.

“The Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture continues to educate the public about Henrietta’s life and legacy. It also reinforces the importance of ongoing conversations about ethics, equity and justice in health care,” says Jeri Lacks Whye, granddaughter of Henrietta Lacks. “Now in its 15th year, the lecture provides Henrietta’s family additional opportunities to celebrate her life while continuing to educate the public about her impact on humanity. This lecture is a space for the community to come together to learn, reflect and take action.”

Sign up for our free newsletter.

Since 2010, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research has hosted the Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture. The lecture series serves as an annual reminder of the important role of bioethics in health care.

This year’s lecture featured Brittany Jenkins-Lord, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S., a molecular cancer biologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who spoke about genetic and background elements and underscored the importance of understanding how they interact and converge in cancer disparities.

The lecture also included keynote speaker Deidra Crews, M.D., Sc.M, nephrologist and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity. Crews discussed the root causes of challenges in kidney health and recent advances to address them through advocacy and research.

The lecture honored the winner of the Urban Health Institute’s Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award. This year’s award went to AgriHood Baltimore Food Box Delivery Program.

Alexander Kobia received the Henrietta Lacks Dunbar Health Sciences Scholarship.