On Jan. 30, 2025, Dr. Dinee Simpson, Chief Health Equity Executive and Associate Professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, presented as the 2025 Belzer Visiting Professor. Her talk was about “Taking Disparities Research From the Bench to the Bedside: A Journey in Health Equity.”
The purpose of this lecture was to define health equity in our current health landscape, explain the impact of health inequities on the overall cost of health care if left unaddressed, and describe ways health inequity can be addressed by acknowledging patients’ unique differences and challenges.
The Belzer Lecture series was started in 1997 by Dr. Layton Rikkers, Chair of the Department of Surgery from 1996-2008. This lecture series is named for Dr. Folkert “Fred” Belzer, Chair of the Department of Surgery from 1974 to 1995, who passed away in 1996. Dr. Rikkers established the Belzer lectureship to honor Dr. Belzer.