EDiversity Week returns with an emphasis on anti-ageism in health care and the recent designation of U of U Health as an Age-Friendly Health System. The size of the US population that is +65 years of age is expected to double by 2050, prompting greater attention to systems so they meet the growing need. One recent study found that ageism in health care resulted in more than 17 million additional health condition cases and put its cost at $63 billion annually, a staggering sum that results from overmedication, misaligned treatment plans, and inequitable health outcomes. The theme for this year’s MEDiversity Week, “Care-4-All Ages,” seeks to draw attention to the importance of designing and delivering care that meets the needs of every person, regardless of age.
Interested in additional anti-ageism events outside of MEDiversity Week? Check out this anti-ageism event list.
October 23 - 27, 2023
Aging Through an Intersectional Lens
October 23 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT | S.J. Quinney College of Law Moot Courtroom (Level 6) + Livestream
“Aging Through an Intersectional Lens” will highlight common challenges faced by older adults from a variety of backgrounds and demonstrate similar threads we all experience as we age. Learn from community and health services experts about vulnerability in aging and the strengths that support longevity and vitality. If you have wondered how older adults are affected by gaps in our social system, and how to help, this panel discussion will introduce ways we can all be anti-ageist to create the best care no matter our age.
This is a hybrid event; attendees may join at the Moot Courtroom or virtually via a livestream on this page. More information will be shared soon. ASL interpretation will be provided and auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.
MEDiversity Week Keynote: Sharon A. Brangman, MD
October 24 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT | Virtual Event
Sharon A. Brangman, MD, (she/her) has decades of experience working in geriatrics. She is currently a SUNY distinguished service professor and inaugural chair of the Department of Geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University, director of the Upstate Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, and Medical Director of the Transitional Care Unit on the Upstate Community Campus.
Dr. Brangman’s presentation will review the impact of ageism in the setting of academic medical centers with a focus on our missions of clinical care, education, and research. We will discuss approaches for addressing ageism so that we can improve care for our older patients.
ASL interpretation will be provided and auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.
Film Screening & Discussion: “Dick Johnson is Dead”
October 24 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm MDT | Gardner Commons Siciliano Auditorium Room 1900
A lifetime of making documentaries has convinced award-winning filmmaker Kirsten Johnson of the power of the real. But now she’s ready to use every escapist movie-making trick in the book – staging inventive and fantastical ways for her 86-year-old psychiatrist father to die while hoping that cinema might help her bend time, laugh at pain and keep her father alive forever. The darkly funny and wildly imaginative “Dick Johnson is Dead” is a love letter from a daughter to a father, creatively blending fact and fiction to create a celebratory exploration of how movies give us the tools to grapple with life’s profundity. “Dick Johnson is Dead” was filmed, produced and directed by Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson), produced by Katy Chevigny and Marilyn Ness, co-produced by Maureen A. Ryan and executive produced by Megan Ellison.
What does the Age-Friendly University designation mean for you?
October 25 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am MDT | Virtual Event
We are thrilled to announce that the University of Utah is the newest member of the Age-Friendly University Global Network. Membership in the Age-Friendly University Global Network is open to degree-granting institutions of higher education throughout the world who endorse the Ten Principles of the Age-Friendly University and is granted by the Executive Council of the Age-Friendly University Global Secretariat. Please celebrate with us as we discuss what the Age-Friendly University designation means now and for our future.
Auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.
Reframing the Conversation: Ensuring High-Quality Patient Care at Every Age
October 25 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT | Hinckley Caucus Room (GC 2018) + Livestream
This MEDiversity Week edition of Reframing the Conversation focuses on aging and policy in Utah. University of Utah Health was recently designated an Age Friendly Health System (AFHS), a label that demonstrates the commitment of the UUHC system to anti-ageist practices and high-quality care for all ages. One recent report showed that the number of older adults (+65 years) in Utah will double by 2060, growing to 25% of the population. But how can we ensure our state is best prepared to deliver the highest quality care for Utahans at any age? Which practices will help prevent ageism or other harmful attitudes that worsen health outcomes for older Utahans? And most importantly, which policy measures will help the state’s health care systems best care for an increasingly older population?
ASL interpretation will be provided and auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.
MEDiversity Week Town Hall
October 26 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT | Virtual Event
Have any health equity questions for University of Utah Health leaders? The MEDiversity Week Town Hall provides a chance for the community to ask an extraordinary panel about their thoughts and expertise on health equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of Utah. Questions will be submitted through registration for the event.
ASL interpretation will be provided and auto-captions will be available. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.
WiHMS Webinar: Let’s Talk About Menopause!
October 27 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am MDT | Virtual Event
In partnership with Women in Health, Medicine, and Science (WiHMS)
This webinar will focus on perimenopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal health. With our panel of experts, we will have a discussion that breaks down the barriers associated with talking about menopause, normalizing the changes that happen to our bodies as we go through it, and becoming more empowered as patients, providers, and supporters.
Auto-captions will be available at this event. All requests for event access support and other questions or concerns may be directed to edi-events@utah.edu.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
As Utah welcomes additional Afghan refugees into the community, experts Wagma Mohmand, Anna Gallegos and Abdulkhaliq Barbaar explain the pitfalls of common stereotypes and show us the importance of implementing cultural humility and competency in health care for all.
Director of community engagement RyLee Curtis shares how we’re partnering with communities to build a new learning and health campus, and what we can apply now, even before construction starts
The month of Ramadan has begun for many our Muslim patients, and with it comes questions and concerns from health care providers about how to care for patients who are fasting. Project administrator Anna Gallegos and physician assistant Wagma Mohmand consulted with religious and community experts to walk us everything we need to know about Ramadan and how to care for our diverse Muslim population.
