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.

You may recognize her striking face from fashion spreads in Elle and Vogue or the Victoria's Secret runway, but Alek Wek has another story to tell. Not that of an international supermodel but of the struggles of life as a refugee.

On April 5, Wek will tell the story of her personal journey as a refugee and her current work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) when she appears as a guest on International Programs’ WorldCanvass television and radio program as part of the UI Provost’s Global Forum on Refugees in the Heartland. WorldCanvass will be held in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber from 5 to 7 p.m., on Friday, April 5, 2013, and the public is invited to attend.

In October 1833, a book purporting to be the autobiography of the famous Sauk and Fox leader, Black Hawk, appeared in Cincinnati. In the 1830s, Euro-Americans were clamoring for “Indian stories,” and this volume of recollections by the principal warrior in what became known as the Black Hawk War — whose final battle was pitched on the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois — was an instant sensation.

Although some contemporary reviewers dismissed the book as the fabrication of Antoine Le Claire, the biracial (French-Canadian/Potawatomi) founder of Davenport, others continued to believe in its authenticity, their views bolstered by the undeniable fact that in the 1830s there were many books written and published by Native Americans — books recounting Native writers’ objections to the Jackson administration’s policy of removal, the erosion of their treaty rights, or often simply their life stories.

Like all new technologies, genetic medicine brings a new set of societal questions. If DNA sequencing uncovers an untreatable genetic defect, do you want to know? It is not a hypothetical question; we are already facing this ethical dilemma for selected diseases. Because you are genetically similar to your siblings, what are the implications for them if you fit a particular disease profile? What is the appropriate ethical and economic balance between personalized health care treatment and cost, particularly if you choose a lifestyle that worsens your health, given a genetic predisposition to a disease? How do we protect individual privacy in a world of “big data” and inexpensive health monitoring devices?

The study of genetics has come a long way since Gregor Mendel’s groundbreaking work with pea plants in the mid-19th century. To see just how far we’ve come and where research into genetics is taking us, join WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer and her panel of expert guests on Friday, February 15, at 5 p.m. in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber, when the topic is "Genetics and New Technologies." The program is free and open to the public.

What is globalization and how does it affect the world economy? What implications does globalization have for the United States, for Iowa, and for individuals? WorldCanvass guests will explore these and other questions when they gather in the Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol Museum on Friday, December 7, at 5 p.m. The program, which is produced by International Programs and hosted by Joan Kjaer, is free and open to the public.

Toward the end of “One Tree Three Lives” — a documentary on the life and work of Hualing Engle, the Chinese novelist and co-founder of the International Writing Program — there is a shot of her dining room table where, she reports, more than 600 writers have come to eat during her time in Iowa City.

It is a telling moment: hospitality is a recurring theme of Angie Chen’s film, which had its U.S. premiere on Sunday at the Landlocked Film Festival. And Engle’s spirit of generosity is what will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Friday in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber, when the UI’s International Programs awards her its International Impact Award for her contributions to global understanding.