One of the key functions of The Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) is to serve as a resource for medical a students and trainees with special emphasis on underrepresented matriculants.
Our charge is to proactively support and enhance the academic and cultural experience of our diverse student body while they are pursuing their medical education. To enhance our efforts to promote diversity, the ODEI is launching the John H. Gladney, M.D., lecture series and recognition dinner. These events will highlight the School of Medicine’s interests in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in health and medical education. Each gathering will educate and engage our students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community in subjects related to health, health disparity, public health, and minority influences in improving healthcare and wellness.
By providing several events each year, the importance and impact will be reinforced, and opportunities for mentorship, friendship and collaboration will arise. These events will help to cultivate a strong base of financial support to fund the John H. Gladney, M.D., Fellowship, the Gladney Student Awards for leadership in diversity, the John Berry Meachum Scholarship, and future events to promote awareness and education.
The John H. Gladney, M.D., Lectures and Recognition Dinner, along with the Gladney Student Awards are named in honor of the late John H. Gladney, M.D. He was a well-known and respected member of the medical community, both locally and nationally. He was chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, the first African-American to hold the position of chairman of a basic science or clinical department. He was committed to improving diversity at the University and within the field of medicine.
Gifts of support to the Office of Diversity, Education and Inclusion Development Fund will allow Saint Louis University School of Medicine to host lectures, build the Gladney Fellowship endowment fund, provide funding for scholarships that support underrepresented minority medical students, and fund the Gladney Student Awards.
Past Events
John H. Gladney, M.D., Virtual Awards and Recognition Webinar
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Time: 5 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Read About the 2020 Gladney Awards
Keynote Speaker Contessa Metcalfe, M.D., star of Bravo TV Married to Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Medicine alumnus, will discuss her time at Saint Louis University, her career as a physician, and how her medical degree has helped navigate her career advancement. Dr. Metcalfe was born and raised in Kansas City, MO and now practices medicine in Atlanta, GA.
Awards and recognitions will include the John H. Gladney Award, John Berry Meachum Scholarship, the newly founded Michael T. Railey, Will You Remember Award, Mound City Awards, and Diversity Champion recognition.
Keynote Speaker: Contessa Metcalfe, M.D., star of Bravo TV Married to Medicine and
Saint Louis University School of Medicine alumnus
Special Guests: Mrs. Judith Gladney, daughter of John H. Gladney, M.D. and Mrs. Connie
Agard, daughter of John H. Gladney, M.D.
Co-panelist: Daniel Blash, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and
Chief Diversity Officer for the School of Medicine, Saint Louis University
Co-panelist: Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D., Interim Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Co-panelist: Robert Wilmott, M.D., Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean, School
of Medicine, Saint Louis University
Special thanks to Jeanne Dickens, M.D. generous supporter of the John H. Gladney fellowship
endowment fund.
About Contessa Metcalfe, M.D.
Dr. Contessa Metcalfe was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up being
involved in every activity imaginable including tennis, cheerleading, basketball,
the NAACP, and was even crowned “homecoming queen” in high school. She was also selected
as “Miss Scholarship” in her Kansas City, Missouri Debutante Ball.
Dr. Contessa attended Xavier University of Louisiana where she earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Chemistry and was again crowned homecoming queen-formally “Miss Xavier University”. It was during this time that Contessa knew she had a calling beyond medicine along with an inner desire to demonstrate her patriotism, so she decided to join the Navy. As a Navy HPSP scholar, she obtained her medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
While in St. Louis, Contessa participated in her first pageant-the Miss Missouri USA pageant-and was selected as “Miss Scholarship.” After graduation, she began her residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. As a Naval flight surgeon-she was allowed to travel the world. She also learned how to fly both fixed wing airplanes and helicopters.
While attending a medical conference in Miami, she met and fell in love with her husband, Scott. After the Navy, she continued her residency training in Family Medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine as well as a Master In Public Health and joint Preventive Medicine and Occupational Medicine Residency at Meharry Medical College. Marriage taught her to cultivate her adventurous and creative aspirations in different avenues, and she now owns and invests in several businesses, including Chastain Integrative Medical Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Contessa is currently completing an Addiction Fellowship at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
When Dr. Contessa is not on the clock or filming for Bravo's Hit Show "Married To Medicine", she enjoys riding motorcycles, acting, traveling, and spending quality time with her family. She and her husband, Scott have three children, whom she considers her greatest accomplishment. Dr. Contessa lives by the motto, “Prevention is the key to healthy living.” She plans to continue to commit her life to service by helping people all over the world overcome the perils of addiction, one of America’s greatest public health problems.
Healthcare Disparities, Mental Health: Where Do We Go from Here?
- Guest Speaker: Jeanne Dickens, M.D., psychiatrist, Sandra Eskenazi Community Mental Health Center and Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital
- Co-panelist: Rita McMillan, Human Resources Consultant, Saint Louis University
- Co-panelist: Daniel Blash, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for the School of Medicine, Saint Louis University
(Passcode: p2i^QcN1)
Psychiatrist and humanitarian, Jeanne Dickens, M.D., discusses healthcare disparities and mental health and provides optimism for the future. If you’ve ever asked the question, what can I do to help the marginalized; this webinar is for you. If you are a student, this webinar will connect you to a medical giant from the past and inspire you for the future. If you are a leader looking for answers; this webinar is for you. If you are discouraged and needing hope for the future, you don’t want to miss this webinar.
About Jeanne Dickens, M.D.
Dr. Jeanne Dickens is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist at Sandra Eskenazi Community Mental Health Center and at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. Both organizations are divisions of Eskenazi Health, one of the leading providers of health care in Central Indiana. Dr. Dickens is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed a Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received general adult psychiatry residency training at the University of South Carolina and completed a geriatric psychiatry fellowship program at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. She has academic interests in Late-Life Depressive Disorders and Alzheimer Disease, and has received recognition on many occasions for her exemplary patient care. She has been recognized as a “Top ACTS Physician of the Year” by Eskenazi Health, and also as a “Top Doc” by Indianapolis Monthly magazine for several years. Throughout her career, Dr. Dickens has worked tirelessly to empower seniors to recognize and achieve their individual therapeutic goals. She enjoys reading nonfiction literature and participating in philanthropic endeavors. She is a sought after mentor and professional speaker, and is very proud to be a cousin of Dr. John H. Gladney’s late wife, Mrs. Agnes Clarice Gladney.