Fems4STEM

To all of our unapologetically fierce lady CEOs, game changers, visionaries, innovators & STEM girls, happy international women's day!

In 1951, Lacks received treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the only medical centers accepting Black patients at the time. There, a gynecologist took a sample of her cells, sending it to a lab for research without her knowledge or consent, her family says.

Though Lacks died just months later, her cells, later named "HeLa" cells, were discovered to be remarkably "immortal," lasting longer than any other samples scientists had seen, even multiplying every 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins.

Johns Hopkins offered HeLa cells freely and widely for scientific research.

Scientists say HeLa cells are estimated to have saved millions of lives through medical advancements, including the polio vaccine, coronavirus vaccines, cancer treatments, AIDS treatments, Parkinson's treatments, and human survival in zero gravity.

"Having reviewed our interactions with Henrietta Lacks and with the Lacks family over more than 50 years, we found that Johns Hopkins could have – and should have – done more to inform and work with members of Henrietta Lacks’ family out of respect for them, their privacy and their personal interests. Though the collection and use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells in research was an acceptable and legal practice in the 1950s, such a practice would not happen today without the patient’s consent," the statement said.


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"A Latina has created a platform to provide access to scholarships worth almost $38 million for Latinos and other students interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

The free platform gives STEM students in high school and college a place to find scholarships, internships, work opportunities, financial education and resources based upon GPA, merit and financial background."

"Black medical school students may perhaps be among those who help fill a predicted deficit of doctors across the country in upcoming years.

Of the 22,000 students who started medical school last fall, those who identified as Black or African American jumped 21% from 2020 to 21, based on new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The nonprofit association disclosed that the first-year class from last year is the largest and most diverse than any previously, per GBH News.

The rise comes after AAMC data revealed last June that the United States could see estimated shortages of “between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034.” It pointed out that it could contain shortfalls in primary and specialty care."

“We have never seen such an increase within a short amount of time,” said Norma Poll-Hunter, who leads workforce diversity efforts at the AAMC, told GBH News. She mentioned research that reveals that patients are more inclined to identify better with their care when their doctors resemble them across all races.