Lunch & Learn: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins
Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA
with Professor Shoumita Dasgupta, PhD
Thursday, March 20, 2025
11 am – 1 pm
Howard Thurman Center
808 Commonwealth Ave, Rm 104
Lunch will be provided and Professor Dasgupta’s book will be on sale at the event.
About the event: Academic communities are uniquely positioned to address the complex intersections of medical ethics, social justice, and technological advancement. This interdisciplinary talk examines how eugenic principles rooted in scientific racism, homophobia, misogyny, and other forms of oppression once justified forced sterilizations in American history and considers their implications for contemporary genetic technologies. Faculty, staff, and students across health sciences, history, ethics, sociology, and policy studies will explore the multifaceted roots of healthcare disparities, including systemic racism and institutional bias. The discussion will challenge attendees to identify concrete anti-oppressive actions within their respective academic disciplines, research practices, and communities. This timely conversation invites scholarly engagement with both historical narratives and forward-looking solutions to create a more equitable society.
This event is a partnership with the Women’s Guild and the Women’s Impact Network. The Women’s Impact Network (WIN) fosters a community for women in BU’s Development & Alumni Relations, promoting a sense of belonging while supporting career growth. WIN’s core pillars focus on community building, networking, and professional engagement through speaker events, empowering others to lead sessions, and offering targeted programming on negotiating, public speaking, networking, and more.
About the Speaker
Shoumita Dasgupta, Ph.D., is a scientist educator whose significant scholarly contributions center around inclusive curriculum design, teaching, and service. She is a Professor of Medicine and an Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion with a demonstrated history of working in a diverse and inclusive higher education environment. Dr. Dasgupta has leveraged her expertise in basic and medical genetics and genomics, graduate education, and medical education to transform and advance the clinical, scientific, and ethical training of MD and PhD students at Boston University, nationally, and internationally. Her passion for genetics, genomic medicine, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring serve as the foundation for her supportive and creative leadership in the field. Dr. Dasgupta is a US Department of State Fulbright Specialist, a member of the inaugural cohort of faculty affiliates at the Ibram X. Kendi Center for Antiracism Research, and Past President of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics. In addition, she works with the National Human Genome Research Institute, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and others to promote initiatives in education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Dr. Dasgupta is the author of Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA, published by the University of California Press.