Honorary Degree For Henrietta Lacks
Posted by Osagie K. Obasogie June 9, 2011
Biopolitical Times
Many Biopolitical Times readers now know the story of Henrietta Lacks. A poor black woman living in Baltimore during the first half of the 20th century, her cancerous tumor cells were taken by a Johns Hopkins researcher without consent to create immortal cell lines that have become the cornerstone of modern biomedical research. While this story is well known within academic circles, the wider public did not know about Henrietta Lacks and her contribution until Rebecca Skloot published The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in 2010, which has been a New York Times Bestseller for the past 18 weeks.
Skloot’s book has been big news for over a year. But I didn't appreciate just how big it is until recently when I was walking through an airport and saw a bookstore that prominently displayed it. When science journalism displaces the likes of John Grisham and Harry Potter in airport bookstores, you know something special is happening.
This recognition, both of Henrietta Lacks’ contributions and the human subject abuses that were common a few decades ago, is remarkably important. But as we come to the end of graduation season, probably one of the most interesting ways in which Lacks has been recognized is the granting of a posthumous honorary degree (doctorate of public service) by Morgan State University in Baltimore. It’s somewhat surprising that this degree came from Morgan State and not Johns Hopkins, although Johns Hopkins has done other things in her name. Perhaps a larger gesture by Hopkins is in the making. I’m sure there are a few buildings on campus that need naming.
Click here for audio from an NPR segment on this story.
Skloot’s book has been big news for over a year. But I didn't appreciate just how big it is until recently when I was walking through an airport and saw a bookstore that prominently displayed it. When science journalism displaces the likes of John Grisham and Harry Potter in airport bookstores, you know something special is happening.
This recognition, both of Henrietta Lacks’ contributions and the human subject abuses that were common a few decades ago, is remarkably important. But as we come to the end of graduation season, probably one of the most interesting ways in which Lacks has been recognized is the granting of a posthumous honorary degree (doctorate of public service) by Morgan State University in Baltimore. It’s somewhat surprising that this degree came from Morgan State and not Johns Hopkins, although Johns Hopkins has done other things in her name. Perhaps a larger gesture by Hopkins is in the making. I’m sure there are a few buildings on campus that need naming.
Click here for audio from an NPR segment on this story.