2021 Black His/Herstory Month Events

Former Chair of Clinical Medical Education Department and Associate Dean of UME Simulation & Simulation-based Assessment, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Diana Callender, MBBS, DM, is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a medical degree and postgraduate training in clinical hematology. She completed a clinical oncology fellowship as a visiting scientist at the National Cancer Institute in 1988 and returned to the National Cancer Institute as a senior staff fellow from 1996-1998. Dr. Callender has served as a hematologist/oncologist in Barbados and then in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Dr. Callender has been a medical educator for over 25 years and most recently held leadership and teaching positions at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pa.

Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences & Scientific Director, Office of Community Engaged Research, Wayne State University School of Medicine

Rhonda Dailey, MD, has 20 years of experience of conducting quantitative and qualitative behavioral and health-disparities research, and expertise in community engagement and with the recruitment and retention of minority populations. Her research interests include: the influence of racism on health; women’s health; health equity and disparities related to chronic disease, primarily asthma and hypertension; patient attitudes and beliefs about health; and healthcare quality. She is currently leading the Office of Community Engaged Research’s efforts in delivering cultural competency workshops and is co-investigator on several National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant (R01) research studies that align with her interests, particularly asthma and perinatal health outcomes in African American participants.

Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Director of Pediatric Infection Prevention, Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Swathi M. Gowtham, MD, is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. She completed her medical training at Rutgers Medical School in N.J., and went on to complete a general pediatrics residency at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in N.J. She then completed her pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Gowtham is the director of Pediatric Infection Prevention and is the only pediatric HIV provider at Geisinger. Her clinical interests include public health, prevention of hospital acquired infections and virology. The current COVID-19 pandemic with its challenges melds all her interests in virology, public health and infection prevention.

President & CEO, Black Scranton Project

Glynis Johns is the founder of Black Scranton Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, local heritage initiative and public history venture dedicated to archiving and celebrating African American history of Scranton and northeastern Pennsylvania. Glynis is also a first-year doctoral student studying 19th and 20th century African American history at Rutgers University. A native Scrantonian, local historian, sociologist, artist, documentarian and advocate, Glynis spends a lot of time researching Scranton in attempt to piece together narratives of the Black community. She is proud to shift local perspectives on culture, inclusion, representation and history. For Glynis, passions and projects are indistinguishable from each other. She received her bachelor of arts degree and master of arts degree in sociology at St. John’s University. Highlighted in the the March 2020 issue of Happenings Magazine as one of the most “Influential Women in NEPA” and NEPA Business Journal’s Top 20 under 40 Young Business Professionals 2019 honoree.

Attending Physician of Infectious Diseases, Geisinger Clinic and Regional Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Darrell McBride, DO, is an infectious diseases physician at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., and specializes in HIV treatment, management and prevention. He is on the board for the AIDS Resource Center in Williamsport, Pa. He completed his infectious diseases fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. During his second year, he was named the HIV fellow, and was responsible for managing the HIV population at John Cochran VA Hospital. That same year, he was awarded a grant to start a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinic. He was granted an additional year of fellowship to further specialize in HIV/HCV co-infection management. During this time, he was instrumental in improving retention in the HIV clinic and proposed many quality improvement projects that were eventually included in their general practice. Dr. McBride has experienced the inner workings of a well-functioning Ryan White Clinic; dedicated time to expanding access to quality HIV care; and practiced in identifying, assessing and subsequently closing care gaps. Additionally, he was recently selected to be on the national “Ending HIV as an Epidemic" Working Group. Commitment to this community is something Dr. McBride has crafted his entire career and has been emboldened to continue. Along with his experience and passion, his successful obtainment of the Ryan White Grant will allow him to substantially improve Geisinger’s ability to create a long-lasting positive trajectory in HIV care.

Service Chief of Family Medicine, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and President of Jackson State University National Alumni Association

"Find solutions, not excuses" is the mantra of Earlexia M. Norwood, MD. Dr. Norwood is a board-certified family medicine physician, who has practiced at Henry Ford Health System since 1993. She seeks partnerships and alliances to make Detroit the healthiest city in the country, as well as opportunities to educate communities and organizations on health and wellness. She is the service chief of family medicine for Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, the director of Practice Development and Community Health Education, ambassador for Healthcare Equity, and global health ambassador for the Breaking Walls organization.

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Ijeoma Opara, MD received her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) and is a graduate of Detroit Medical Center (DMC)/WSUSOM Internal Medicine-Pediatrics combined residency program, after which she served as chief medical resident. Currently, she is a double-board certified assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at WSUSOM, associate program director of the internal medicine-pediatrics residency and attending physician with Wayne State University Physician Group. Read Dr. Opara's full bio.

Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion & Assistant Professor of Instruction in Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin

Skyller Walkes, MD, is a deeply impassioned diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion leader who champions critical dialogue with the hopes of impacting positive change within shared communities. As an educator who works across K-20 trajectories, including adult and community education, both domestically and internationally with various populations, Dr. Walkes aims to engage learners in formal, non-formal and informal spaces. Complemented by her background in social services, the breadth of her professional experience consists of nonprofit and for-profit project management, educator coaching and training, account management, K-16 curricula support, special and disability education, adult education initiatives, English language learners and social justice reform through community outreach and activism. Dr. Walkes’ work encompasses several international projects for schools, regional libraries and diversity community education for numerous entities, including the United States Embassy in Madrid, Spain, Diversity Abroad and the Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League.