CANCELED - CEHD Reads: A Conversation with Author Rebecca Skloot Monday, November 10, 2014

Ted Mann Concert Hall

Join us for a conversation with Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

The featured book for CEHD Reads tells the story of Henrietta Lacks (known by scientists as HeLa). Lacks grew up in a poor tobacco farming community in Clover, Virginia. In 1951 doctors at Johns Hopkins took cancerous cells from her body without her knowledge. HeLa cells have played a major role in important scientific and medical advancements.

Henrietta Lacks died at the age of 31 and her family has received no compensation despite the billions of dollars that the HeLa cells have generated in the medical industry. Skloot’s book raises critical questions about race, ethics and scientific discovery.

As with past CEHD Reads books, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks probes the question: How can one person make a difference?

Read more.