NC-HCAP News

Kay Johnson Graham to serve as 2003 ISIS Speaker
03.01.03

Chapel Hill, NC—Kay Johnson-Graham, Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, Minority Outreach Coordinator, and Director of Minority Student Programs at the National Institutes of Health, will address nearly 150 North Carolina undergraduate students on Thursday, March 27th at a Health Professions Forum hosted by the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The forum will be held at the Pleasants Family Assembly Room at the Louis Round Wilson Library at 9 a.m.

In her speech, “Ph.D.s Plowing the Cotton Fields: Lessons Learned,” Johnson-Graham draws on an anecdote of her grandfathers’ to show students that, though the roadblocks may seem insurmountable, professional success is very much within reach. She references all the men and women in the past who were unable to pursue their dreams—from those who labored in slavery to those who gave up their goals “to make ends meet”—as well as those who, due to lack of access to resources and guidance, never learned what names to give their dreams. With this in mind, Johnson-Graham shows students how to navigate the path to the career of their choice without shying away from the challenges they will face. She encourages them to set goals for pursuing a career in the health and biomedical sciences, to systematically explore their interests, to search out mentors and opportunities, and to find creative ways to overcome obstacles. Of health careers, she says, “this is a wonderful arena with limitless opportunities and some challenges, but why wait, sit back, and not do anything to help our society? Let’s roll up our sleeves and contribute."

As a child, Johnson-Graham spent summers with her father’s family in North Carolina and learned much about her family’s commitment to education, both from her great-grandmother, the daughter of a slave, who taught herself and others to read, and from her uncle and father, who realized their love of service and learning by becoming a physician and a professor. In her family, you did not let a dream die because there were obstacles in the way—and she dreamt of being a doctor.

While attending the University of Maryland, Johnson-Graham acquired a research position at the National Institutes of Health. There, a series of events that she could not have predicted uncovered her love of laboratory work—of being at the very forefront of medicine, discovering new ways to diagnose and treat diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Through her work at NIH, she recognized the dire need to prevent illness rather than just treating those who are already sick. As she explored these issues, Ms. Johnson-Graham found that she had inherited not only her uncle’s commitment to medicine, but also her father’s talent for teaching and empowering others and she found a way to marry these two fields.

Ms. Johnson-Graham now focuses on educating communities and providing real support for minority students to step up and pursue research and other health professions. As Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, Minority Outreach Coordinator, and Director of Minority Student Programs for two subdivisions of the NIH, she targets at-risk populations and helps minority students to forge concrete career plans, place themselves in internships, and pursue professional programs to insure they reach their dreams. Recently, she has worked to create an initiative to train minority nurses in health disparities research, as well as to create an agreement between Howard University and the NIH to increase collaboration between faculty and scientists and to increase research opportunities for minority students.

NC-HCAP is excited to welcome Kay Johnson-Graham as our 2003 ISIS speaker. It is her self-assurance and determination, as well as her service both to her chosen field and to future health professionals, that make her a primary role model for students. “Her commitment to the field of research as well as her sense of public service should serve as in inspiration and motivation for all students and teachers alike,” says Gregory Cooper, forum coordinator. “We are hopeful that many aspiring health professionals will join us for this event and will take away a new sense of confidence, a renewed commitment to reaching their goals, and the certain knowledge that the tools to turn their goals into realities are within their reach.”

In addition to Ms. Johnson-Graham’s address, students attending the forum will interact directly with graduate and professional students from UNC’s health professional schools during a “Tell All” panel discussion presented during the morning general session. After lunch, students will also have the opportunity to attend the Department of Allied Health Sciences (DAHS) recruitment and career fair where there will be time for one-on-one conversation with DAHS professors, students, and recruiters.

The Health Professions Forum and Inspirational Speakers in Science Lecture Series is a part of the Health Professions Preparation Program sponsored by the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Partial funding for this event is provided by the NC Area Health Education Centers Program and the Health Careers Opportunity Program, Division of Disadvantaged Assistance, USDHHS. This is a UNC-Chapel Hill HCOP Collaborative Program Activity. For more information on the Health Professions Forum or the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program, call (919) 966-2264.