2020 LA County Bioscience Forum: Advancing Diversity and Equity

On October 15, 2020, LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and BioscienceLA hosted the first ever Virtual Bioscience Forum: Advancing Diversity and Equity.  The Virtual Forum brought together thought leaders in the life sciences and healthcare industries to discuss steps to reverse healthcare disparities, increase minority representation, provide local jobs, and combat the world’s most vexing and urgent health crises.

Program:

MC

Susan Windham-Bannister, PhD, Biomedical Growth Strategies

Opening Remarks

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Second District, County of Los Angeles

Video - Inspiring the Next Generation

South Bay WIB, Pathways to Stem Cell Science, Lundquist Institute, Oak Crest Institute of Science, Pasadena Bio Collaborative Incubator, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Huntington Medical Research Institutes.

Panel Discussion - Accessing Careers in Life Sciences

Moderator: Yordanos Gebretatios, Consultant, Biocom Institute

Panelists:

Karmin Noar, Executive Director, Biocom Institute

David J. Whelan, CEO, BioscienceLA

Kwame Ulmer, Board Member, MedTechColor

Featured Medical Institution

Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, Founding Dean and CEO, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

Moderator:

Kathryne Cooper, MBA , Co-Director, West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP)

Panel Discussion - Addressing Health Delivery Disparities, Laid Bare by COVID-19, in Underserved Communities

Moderator: Chandra Ford, PhD, Founding Director, UCLA Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice and Health

Panelists:

Ariel McNichol, Co-Founder, MotiSpark

Jahmil Lacey, TRAPMedicine

Ramin Bastani, CEO, Healthvana

Larissa Purnell, Business Strategy, Headspace

Industry Initiatives to Address Diversity, Inclusion and Health Disparities

Video: “BIOEquality Agenda” with Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, President & Chief Executive Officer, BIO

Fireside Chat with Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA, President & Chief Executive Officer, SCAN Group & Health Plan

Moderator: David J. Whelan, Chief Executive Officer, BioscienceLA

Closing Remarks

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas