December not only brings cold weather but in addition awareness of the need to respect all individuals. December is Universal Human Rights Month, a time for all of us to recognize and protect the rights and dignity of all people. December 10^th is International Human Rights Day, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1948. We have an obligation to fight all discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, weight and too many other characteristics to name that make us a wonderful, creative and diverse culture.

There is much celebration in December. This year’s December started with Chanukah, or the 8-day Jewish Holiday of lights which started Sunday eve November 28th and goes to sundown December 6^th. December 21^st is the Pagan and Wiccan celebration of the rebirth of the Great Horned Hunter God of the Winter Solstice. December 25^th is Christmas, a religious holiday for our Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Kwanza starts December 26^th and goes to January first – a rich celebration of African-American heritage and culture. The seven candles/days represent unity, self-determination, collective work and respect, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

And, of course, the big New Year’s Eve celebration! Here is wishing for a healthy year free of covid and a prosperous one for all. Most of all we wish for a year of freedom and non-discrimination for all – as trite as it sounds, but it is so true, we are all created equal.

During more than two decades with PHR, Vincent Iacopino, MD has conducted medical fact-finding investigations and documented a wide range of human rights violations all over the world, including in Afghanistan, Botswana, Burma, Chad, Chechyna, Iraq, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and Zimbabwe.

Dr. Iacopino is currently an adjunct professor of medicine with the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is also the former medical director of Survivors International of Northern California, a non-profit organization providing medical and psychological assistance to survivors of torture from around the world. He was the principal organizer of an international effort to develop UN guidelines on effective investigation and documentation of torture and ill treatment (the Istanbul Protocol) and has served as a consultant to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Dr. Iacopino has also examined medical records and/or testified in more than a dozen detainee cases at Guantánamo Bay.

Dr. Iacopino is one of the pioneers in conceptualizing the relationship between health and human rights and has authored more than 120 health and human rights publications. He has taught health and human rights courses at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health since 1995 and is a senior research fellow at the Human Rights Center of the University of California, Berkeley.

In 2004, Dr. Iacopino received the Center for Victims of Torture’s Eclipse Award for extraordinary service on behalf of torture survivors. In 2005, he also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Medicine of the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Iacopino received his MD and a PhD in physiology from Georgetown University Medical School in 1985. He completed his residency in internal medicine in 1989 and served as chief resident in 1990 at the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Stanford University Medical Center from 1991 to 1993.

While renewed interest in the term is a recent development, the concept is not new. Workplace microaggressions form the factual basis of many EEOC charges and Title VII lawsuits. Employees who experience microaggressions at work may have lower job satisfaction, higher incidents of absenteeism, and higher turnover. A study by Fortune Magazine showed that 68 percent of workers in the U.S. consider microaggressions to be a serious problem in the workplace. While only 10 percent of respondents admitted to committing microaggressions in the past, 36 percent said they had witnessed microaggressions in the workplace, and 26 percent said they had experienced microaggressions themselves. Addressing microaggressions in the workplace is not only a good practice for improving morale and increasing retention, but also critical for reducing the likelihood of employment law claims. Read the full article.

Everybody’s biased. The truth is, we all harbor unconscious assumptions that can get in the way of our good intentions and keep us from building authentic relationships with people different from ourselves. Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman use vivid stories and fun (yes, fun!) exercises and activities to help us reflect on our personal experiences and uncover how our hidden biases are formed. By becoming more self-aware, we can control knee-jerk reactions, conquer fears of the unknown, and prevail over closed-mindedness. In the end, Jana and Freeman’s central message is that you are not the problem—but you can be the solution.

The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities will host a virtual talk series about "Personal Empowerment: Having your Voice Heard from the Schoolhouse to the Statehouse." Leading the discussion will be, Donna Beckman, Advocacy and Outreach Director, North Carolina Down Syndrome … Continued

Participate in UndocuCarolina Ally training to learn how to support members of the Carolina community living with the effects of undocumentation. The event takes place on Dec. 9, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m in the Toy Lounge, Dey Hall. Register here: https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4H0rXxLFiojqpOS

The Race, Racism and Racial Equity (R3) Symposium is a series of virtual events that bring together scholars and researchers from across campus to share their work with Carolina and the broader community. We will provide context on the state of race … Continued

Sisterhood of Empowerment in Academe (SEA) is a place for self-identifying women of color to come together, share our lived experiences, and support each other throughout our journey in academia and beyond. Join fellow women in this safe space. Register … Continued

Stuart Gold, MD - Committee Chair

Alessandra Angelino, MD

Benny Joyner, MD

Christian Lawrence, MD

Denita Moore

Gretter Benitez, MD

Jennifer Gutierrez-Wu, MD

Jennifer McElroy

Kenya McNeal-Trice, MD

Martha Perry, MD

Nina Jain, MD

Robin Howard

Steven Weinberg, MD

Zachary Pettigrew, MD