Please Join Us: 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Health Equity Lecture
December 5, 2025
Dear Penn Medicine Community,
I invite you to join us for the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Health Equity Lecture, which will take place on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Each year, this gathering offers us a moment to reflect on Dr. King’s unwavering pursuit of justice, his insistence on the dignity of every person, and his belief that health equity is an essential pillar of a just society. As an institution deeply committed to advancing humanity through care, education, and discovery, it is our responsibility, and privilege to carry forward this work.
This year, we are honored to welcome Dr. Aletha Maybank, former Senior Vice President and inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer of the American Medical Association. Dr. Maybank is a nationally revered leader whose scholarship, advocacy, and voice have reshaped how our field understands equity and public health. Her lecture will invite us to deepen our understanding, sharpen our focus, and strengthen our collective resolve to close the gaps in health care, that persist in the communities we serve.
I strongly encourage you to join me at this meaningful event. Dr. King reminded us that “the time is always right to do what is right,” and moments like this allow us to recommit to that shared purpose as one Penn Medicine.
Please click here to register for the lecture.
Thank you for all you do in service of our mission and to advance equity every day.
Warm regards,
Jon
Jon Epstein, MD
Dean | EVP