Nov. 18, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
At the California Science Center November 21, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Broadcaster Tavis Smiley will moderate a panel discussion on The Medicalization of Race November 21, 2009 from 1:00-2:30 pm. The program is part of Science Matters, a Science Center panel program series that explores current science issues in the forefront of public concern. It is free to the public and will take place in the Loker Conference Center at the California Science Center.
How valid is the concept of race from a biological standpoint? Should race matter or should medicine be colorblind? How much should doctors and researchers place on the role of race in health issues? Scientists will explore these issues and offer different viewpoints on the science and policy of racial categorization in medical research and disease treatment.
The Human Genome Project shows that 99.9 percent of the human genome is the same in everyone regardless of race. Based on this, many scientists argue that 'race' has no biological meaning and is used to perpetuate harmful social inequities. Others contend that racial groups can genetically differ from one another and that the differences can have medical importance.
The program moderator is Tavis Smiley, host of Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI. Program panelists will include:
Pragna Patel, Ph.D.
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Yolanda T. Moses, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology; Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Excellence and Equity; and Vice Provost for Conflict Resolution at the University of California, Riverside
Esteban Gonzalez Burchard, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor, Departments of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Michael J. Montoya, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine
To register online for this free program please go to www.californiasciencecenter.org .
Related Exhibits at the California Science Center
Guests at the Science Matters program also have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the topic by visiting related exhibits and films at the Science Center, The California African American Museum (CAAM) and at The Skirball Cultural Center.
Currently the Science Center is featuring two exhibits:
RACE: Are we so Different?
On view through Dec. 31, 2009
RACE: Are We So Different? encourages guests to examine the science, history and everyday impact of race.
