From the UI College of Education spring 2013 alumni magazine

I met my patient whom I will call “Luna” about three years ago. She identified as a transwoman and had transitioned about 10 years earlier — after living most of her adult life identifying as a man, having been married and raising now adult sons and daughters. I feel it necessary to describe my initial sense of discomfort.

Having practiced medicine for more than 30 years, I have met patients from a multitude of backgrounds and nationalities. I enjoy a collaborative practice with my patients, and I love to incorporate their philosophical and cultural beliefs into their health care. Yet, I felt uncomfortable caring for her.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has named Jerald L. Schnoor, Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering in the University of Iowa College of Engineering, a 2013 recipient of an Einstein Professorship. The academy annually awards Einstein Professorships worldwide to 20 distinguished international scientists actively working at the frontiers of science and technology for the purpose of lecturing, leading workshops, and interacting with faculty and students for one or two weeks in China. The goals of the program include strengthening ties between awardees and Chinese scientists and enhancing the training of future Chinese scientists.

On June 9, Iowa City will officially become a Carnaval City. This Saturday, the city will host a Carnaval Celebration leading up to the June event in B1 North Hall from 1-5 p.m.

The event will feature a presentation by Carnaval costume designer Clary Salandy, plantain tasting, recipe discussion, Trinidad Carnaval and African dance demo by Modei Akyea, and a costume workshop. The Daily Iowan spoke with theater Associate Professor Loyce Arthur, the coordinator of the Iowa City Public Engagement Carnaval Arts Project and head of design for the Theater Department.

The UI Opera Studies Forum will present the final talk in its series coordinated with the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD theater transmissions on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. in the University Capitol Centre, Room 2520D.

The UI South Asian Studies Program will welcome Bandana Purkayastha, professor of sociology and Asian American studies at the University of Connecticut, for a guest lecture on “Racialized transnationalism in the 21st century: Lessons from the experiences of South Asian Americans.” The presentation will be held Friday, April 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre.

In an upcoming UI presentation, Clemencia Rodríguez, professor of communication at the University of Oklahoma, will present part of her extensive research on how Colombians turn to community media – including radio, television, video, digital photography, and the Internet – as tools to forge lives for themselves and their families that are not entirely colonized by armed conflict and its effects.