About the Eaton Hall Lecture Series

The Eaton Hall Lecture Series at the University of Kansas Medical Center is a university-wide lectureship focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in medicine. The series was created by Carrie Francis, M.D., and developed with support from Alex Chiu, M.D., KU Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, KU School of Medicine and the Bohan Visiting Professor Program. The Eaton Hall Lecture Series is intended to spark conversations about equity and inclusion within the health care system and community we serve.

The History of Eaton Hall

The Eaton name recalls our past and reminds us that inclusivity requires purposeful action. In 1938, the Eaton building was constructed on the KU Medical Center campus in Kansas City, KS as a segregated ward for African-American patients and medical students. Originally, “Colored Ward” was chiseled in concrete above the main entrance and on a bronze plate inside the building, and the facility was routinely referred to as the “Negro Ward” and “Negro Pavilion.”  After the building was renamed Eaton, taking after the stretch of Eaton Street that served as the east boundary of campus, it took more than 15 years for the Eaton name to be used in official correspondence.  In 1952, Eaton Hall became the first de-segregated patient ward at KU when it was the only building with large spaces to house the iron lungs for all polio patients.  

Past Event Information

Disabusing Disability^TM: Demonstrating That DISability Doesn't Mean INability

Presentation by Oluwaferanmi O. Okanlami, M.D., M.S., University of Michigan
November 8, 2022

Race Correction of Lung Function Measurements & Algorithms:
Consequences for Lung Health

Presentation by Lundy Braun, Ph.D., Brown University
November 9, 2021

Gender-Affirming Surgical Care

Panel discussion featuring KU Medical Center faculty experts and invited guests
March 30, 2021

Anatomy of Bias: U.S. Medicine, Ethics and Mythology

Presentation by Harriet A. Washington, author and ethicist
May 7, 2019

Developing an Academic Medical Center Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan

Presentation by David Brown, M.D., University of Michigan
October 23, 2018