History.
A conversation between Temitayo Ogunleye, Kristen Harris Nwanyanwu, Sade Udoetuk, and Joshua Udoetuk at their tenth alumni reunion in 2018 birthed the idea of the Penn Med Black Alumni Society. After the traumatic closing of the Office of Diversity and Community Outreach in 2012, they felt disconnected from the community of people they once called family. They resented the loss of the office and the programming that originally attracted them to the institution. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the disproportionate burden on Black people during the global pandemic of 2020, their cause became more urgent. Kiona Allen, Mesha-Gay Brown, Christina Chapman, and Edjah Nduom joined the conversation as the group began meeting with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine administration.
We chose to work together to heal from the traumatic history and mistrusts of the past to protect and support Black medical students going forward. On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, the Penn Med Black Alumni Society held its first meeting. We look forward to serving Black students and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for many years to come.
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The Founders