Recently, a series of police killings of unarmed African Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, has renewed attention to the history of abuses and institutional racism in the United States. This national conversation has led to institutional name changes (for example, removing Woodrow Wilson’s name from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs) and removal of monuments (such as the statues of Christopher Columbus and former mayor Frank Rizzo in Philadelphia) whose namesakes supported white supremacy. In medicine, named lectureships, professorships, and other honorifics are used to solidify the legacies of individuals deemed important. In a moment with calls for diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism, physicians can use this as an opportunity to reflect on who is honored and whether they speak to current values.
One such example is the legacy of dermatologist Albert Kligman, whose name, despite controversy, remains on professorships, lectures, and laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania and scholarship funds at Penn State Mont Alto.
Recently, a series of police killings of unarmed African Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, has renewed attention to the history of abuses and institutional racism in the United States. This national conversation has led to institutional name changes (for example, removing Woodrow Wilson’s name from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs) and removal of monuments (such as the statues of Christopher Columbus and former mayor Frank Rizzo in Philadelphia) whose namesakes supported white supremacy. In medicine, named lectureships, professorships, and other honorifics are used to solidify the legacies of individuals deemed important. In a moment with calls for diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism, physicians can use this as an opportunity to reflect on who is honored and whether they speak to current values.
One such example is the legacy of dermatologist Albert Kligman, whose name, despite controversy, remains on professorships, lectures, and laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania and scholarship funds at Penn State Mont Alto.
