Past Distinguished Speakers
Our Speaker in 5782
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE
FOUNDER, JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE & UN MESSENGER OF PEACE
Sunday, March 13 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and UN Messenger of Peace, is a world-renowned ethologist and activist inspiring greater understanding and action on behalf of the natural world.
Dr. Goodall is known for groundbreaking studies of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, which forever changed our understanding of our relationship to the rest of the animal kingdom. This transformative research continues today as the longest running wild chimpanzee study in the world. Jane’s work builds on scientific innovations, growing a lifetime of advocacy including trailblazing efforts through her international organization the Jane Goodall Institute which advances community-led conservation, animal welfare, science, and youth empowerment through JGI’s Roots & Shoots program.
Today, Jane continues to connect with worldwide audiences, despite the challenges of the pandemic, through ‘Virtual Jane’ including remote lectures, recordings, and her podcast, the “Jane Goodall Hopecast.” In 2021, Jane was the recipient of the Templeton Prize, and her newest book, “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” was published.
Jane is a global icon spreading hope and turning it into meaningful positive impact to create a better world for people, other animals, and the planet we share.
Photo by the Jane Goodall Institute / Bill Wallauer
Our Speakers in 5781
Georges C. Benjamin
Reframing Healthcare: Bridging the Gap in an Unequal World
Wednesday, May 5 - 7:00 PM
Georges C. Benjamin, MD, is one of the nation’s most influential physician leaders, speaking passionately and eloquently about health issues having the most significant impact on our nation today.
Dr. Benjamin leads the American Public Health Association (APHA) and previously served as Secretary of Health the State of Maryland, and prior to that as Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Named one of the top executives in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine, Dr. Benjamin has also been recognized for being among the 100 most influential people in healthcare. He is a member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and a former member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council.
Dr. Benjamin, who grew up in Chicago, is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Ezekiel Emanuel
American Healthcare and a Prescription for Change
Wednesday, June 2 - 7:00 PM
Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, is a leading practitioner shaping healthcare in the United States and around the world, with a record of experience at the highest levels of policymaking. Trained as an oncologist and a political scientist, Dr. Emanuel offers a uniquely thoughtful perspective on the most difficult issues in medicine today.
Dr. Emanuel is the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and the Diane S. and Robert M. Levy University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the former Chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center and currently serves as a Special Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Most recently, Dr. Emanuel was named to President-Elect Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board during the presidential transition.
He also served as a Special Advisor for Health Policy in the Obama Administration and on President Clinton's Health Care Reform Task Force.
Dr. Emanuel, a Chicago native, is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard University (MD / Ph.D.).
Temple Sholom