Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture Emphasizes Bioethics in Health Care

Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture Emphasizes Bioethics in Health Care

10/13/2026

Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture emphasizes bioethics in #health care. ›

BALTIMORE, MD - More than 700 people attended the 16th Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture in person and virtually on Saturday, Oct. 10. The lecture was held at Johns Hopkins Medicine's Turner Auditorium in East Baltimore.

"The Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture is another opportunity to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks, while educating the public about the person behind the HeLa cells and her extraordinary contributions to medicine, scientific research and healthcare," says Jeri Lacks Whye, granddaughter of Henrietta Lacks. "Her name represents a responsibility to learn from the past and to build a greater tomorrow. Her story calls for us to speak for the voiceless, promote justice and equity, and ensure that every individual is treated with dignity, compassion and respect."

Since 2010, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research has hosted the Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture. The lecture series serves as an annual reminder of the important role of bioethics in healthcare.

"The symposium provides a forum for community members, patients and researchers to learn from each other about how to conduct ethical research together as a team," says Daniel Ford, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

This year's keynote speaker was Jeffrey Kahn, Ph.D., M.P.H., Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Kahn explored Henrietta Lacks' story, the history of bioethics and the implications for the future of ethical research. His remarks included a vision looking forward for research ethics and called for "a commitment to continuing to make sure that research practices protect the rights and interests of participants and communities."

Arthur "Jason" Vaught, M.D., director of labor and delivery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, spoke from a maternal health perspective, describing how Henrietta Lacks' legacy connects to the ongoing work of improving care for women and families.

Other activities included a dance troupe performance and a presentation on the progress of the Henrietta Lacks building.

The lecture also honored the winner of the Urban Health Institute's Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award. This year's award went to Muevetón + BabyFest 5K & Health and Fitness Expo, a free annual event at Patterson Park in Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute (UHI) offers this $15,000 award to Baltimore programs co-developed by community-based organizations and Johns Hopkins faculty, students or staff, in order to highlight the importance of community-university collaborations and support their continued work.

Prymisce Anderson received the Henrietta Lacks Dunbar Health Sciences Scholarship.

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a mother of five, sought treatment at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with cervical cancer and during the course of her treatment discovered something remarkable - while cancer cells from other patients would die, Lacks' cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. Though her treatment was unsuccessful and Lacks died in October 1951, her cells continue to have a transformative impact on the world.