26th Annual HeLa
Women's Health Symposium
Addressing Racial and Ethnic Gynecological Health Disparities
Thursday, November 9, 2023
2:00 – 7:00 p.m.
#HeLaAtMSM2023
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This annual symposium honors Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman with cervical cancer, who in 1951 unknowingly donated her cancer cells when a young resident saved some cells before treatment. She died a few months later, but the first immortal human cell line was developed from her saved cells. Named HeLa, the line has been used extensively in cancer research studies and in the development of vaccines; the polio virus was grown in her cells soon after her death and eventually led to a cure. Use of HeLa has lead to important advances such as invitro fertilization, cloning, gene and stem cell research.
This year’s Symposium features a special screening of Below The Belt, a personal & inspiring stories of four patients urgently searching for answers to mysterious symptoms. From Executive Producer Hillary Rodham Clinton and Director & Producer Shannon Cohn, Below the Belt exposes widespread problems in our healthcare systems. From societal taboos and gender bias to misinformed doctors and profit-driven healthcare, the film reveals how millions are silenced and how, by fighting back, we can improve healthcare for everyone.
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This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 credit (s) â„¢.