American Jewish Experience in Medicine

A conversation about BRCA and Genetic Testing with Dr. Rachel Rabinovitch, Michelle Springer and Dr. Paul Wolpe, explored BRCA gene mutations, genetic testing, and the contribution of Jewish scientists and ethicists to this important work.

Dr. Galit Atlas, in her talk, “Understanding the Legacy of Trauma” discussed with Dr. Matt Wynia, how deeply trauma, love, loss, violence, and secrets travel through generations; how parents unconsciously transmit fears and losses as part of their parenting; and how we suppress what we are too afraid to face.

Dr. Peter Hotez, in his talk, “Anti-Science, Antisemitism and Public Health” spoke about the dangerous intersection of science denial and hate. One of the leading voices in vaccine science and public health, Dr. Hotez addressed how misinformation and false beliefs about vaccines have surprising links to racial, religious and ableist prejudices, including antisemitism and how understanding the connections between vaccine conspiracies and bigoted scapegoating allows us to address these problems at their roots.

Dr. Hedy Wald, in her talk, “Countering Antisemitism in Medicine: A Framework for a Way Forward” explored the issue of antisemitism in medicine and shared insights on the moral imperative of countering antisemitism in medicine. She addressed the historical and current impacts of antisemitism in healthcare and presented her transformative "4 Es" framework—Education, Engagement, Empathy, and Enforcement—for fostering inclusion and moral resilience in medicine.