he phrase “the new normal” has been thrown around since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and as America struggles to define—and design—what that is exactly, colleges are paving the way for what it might look like.

After the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, colleges and universities throughout the Baltimore region began to find their groove as they moved into the 2021-2022 school year. Coronavirus safety committees had been erected, new mandates put in place, safety protocols implemented—everything from vaccine requirements to temperature checks to quarantine procedures and wastewater testing that can pinpoint a COVID infection before anyone is symptomatic.

By some counts, colleges may very well be the safest places to live and work.

“Just following simple rules of wearing face masks and social distancing, using wastewater management and testing when we need to, we have, in many ways, been able to return to normal life,” says Goucher College President Kent Devereaux. “Full athletics, student clubs, dining in the dining hall, use of the library—everything that you’d normally have, we’ve been able to return to.”

Despite the challenges and anxieties faced by students, staff, and faculty alike, some unexpected silver linings have emerged.

“It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

The widespread adoption of technology across college campuses has proven to provide more flexibility, efficiency, and innovation—and even accessibility, in some cases. Counseling sessions, for example, began to be conducted remotely during the pandemic and many students found that they preferred it to in-person sessions. Students who cannot, for whatever reason, make it to an in-person class can now study from anywhere.

Challenging times, combined with advances in technology and the general acceptance of it, have also brought more cooperation and collaboration among schools. It’s becoming more common, for example, for schools that offer complementary programs to partner with one another to offer students an educational pathway to continue studies in their chosen areas. That may mean a discounted tuition rate, a transfer of class credits, or an internship through a partner school.

Maybe most importantly though, schools, at their best, foster an environment where students are supported, expand who they are, and connect with like-minded people. At a time when gathering together is not always safe, being in a community has become even more precious, and students have found new ways to connect.

OCA Mocha, a coffeehouse in Arbutus founded by University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) students, is one example of how effective a gathering place can be at a time when people are craving human connection. What started as a class assignment—to design a community center of some sort—has become a gathering place not just for UMBC students and alumni, but the Arbutus community at large.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories from people who are extremely grateful to have this space,” says Michael Berardi, UMBC class of 2019 and co-founder and general manager of OCA Mocha, which stands for Opportunities for Community Alliances. The coffee shop includes a stage, a community room, and an art gallery, employs UMBC students and alumni, and provides internship opportunities for current UMBC students.

“We have local groups and organizations that meet regularly in our community space and are grateful to not have to meet in someone’s living room or church basement,” says Berardi. “We see a lot of connections being made. It’s just incredible to watch how it’s grown into the vision that we, as a group of students, had.”

We checked in with colleges and universities throughout the region to find out what’s new and what campus life and classes look like, two years into the pandemic.

COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY
A historically Black institution founded in 1900, Coppin State University is situated in the heart of Baltimore City in the Mondawmin neighborhood. Part of the University System of Maryland in Baltimore, the school offers 32 undergraduate and 11 graduate degrees, along with nine certificate programs and one doctorate degree. It’s been rated No. 4 Best HBCU in the Nation (College Consensus), the Top 5 Best Value Online Program (Online School Center), and No. 17 Best Value in the Nation (College Consensus).

In the summer of 2021, CSU announced its Student Debt Relief Initiative, which clears roughly $1 million in student balances and provided a $1,200 credit to every student enrolled in the fall 2021 semester. CSU also created the Freddie Gray Student Success Scholarship, which is available to graduates of Carver Vocational-Technical High School, where Gray was a student.

Coppin also takes esports (competitive video gaming) seriously. In the fall of 2021, Coppin became the first HBCU to open a building on campus exclusively devoted to esports. The Premier Esports Lab opened in September with a guest appearance from Grammy-nominated artist Cordae.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,383 undergraduates, 341 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $6,809 in-state, $13,334 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 40%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Business, Biology, Education, and Criminal Justice, Rehabilitation Counseling

DICKINSON COLLEGE
Founded in 1783, Dickinson College is a liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with a suburban campus that spans 144 acres. The school offers 41 undergraduate degrees within 17 fields of study.

It’s been rated as one of the best schools in the country for its sustainability efforts, which include an 80-acre, USDA-certified organic farm. Princeton Review rated it No. 2 in the Top 50 Green Colleges, and it was rated No. 2 in Overall Top Performers among baccalaureate institutions in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s “Sustainable Campus Index” in 2019 and 2020.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,345
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $58,708
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 52%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: International Business, Economics, Political Science & Government, International Relations & National Security, General Psychology

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Gettysburg College, a private, liberal arts school, sits on 225 acres adjacent to the historical Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania. Many of the buildings on campus are historically significant, so it’s no wonder that it draws students interested in studying history.

The school offers 65 academic programs, more than 120 campus clubs and organizations, and 800 events on campus each year, plus more than 100 study-abroad opportunities open to students.

Its Majestic Theater serves as a venue for the greater Gettysburg community, hosting national acts as well as performances by the school’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music students.

It’s ranked No. 12 for “students who study the most” by the Princeton Review, which also ranked Gettysburg College’s dining hall No. 9 in the country for best campus food.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 2,600
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 10:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $59,960
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 56%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Political Science, Economics, Health Sciences, Organization and Management Studies, History, Psychology

GOUCHER COLLEGE
A private, liberal arts college in Towson, Goucher College prides itself on its close-knit community.

Goucher was extremely proactive when it came to COVID-19 precautions, being the first in the state to implement wastewater testing, which is able to isolate COVID infections by dorm.

Also of note: The college recently opened two new residence halls as part of the school’s First-Year Village. One hundred percent of Goucher students study abroad, and the school is committed to sustainability.

Most recently, Goucher has begun exciting partnerships with other schools, such as Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University, and more to come, to provide a pathway for students to continue their education beyond Goucher. For instance, their 4+1 MBA Program allows students to earn an advanced business degree through Loyola via a “Fast Track” admission process, and at a 15% discount on tuition.

SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,100
STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 9:1
ANNUAL TUITION: $48,000
ACCEPTANCE RATE: 79%
POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Political Science, Business Administration

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) offers nine academic divisions and hundreds of courses of study, with campuses spread throughout Baltimore, including the Peabody Institute, a music and dance conservatory in Mount Vernon. Its main Homewood campus is located on North Charles Street.

The prestigious, world-renowned university has a strong reputation for its public health and medical studies and has been compared to Ivy League schools.

One of its points of pride is its financial aid program, which covers 100% of calculated need for every admitted student, without loans. This means JHU works with families to calculate what they can afford to contribute toward the total cost of attendance—including meals, books, travel, and other expenses—and JHU covers the rest with grants that don’t need to be repaid.

This school year, JHU added two new minors: Latin American Studies and Writing Seminars.

It also announced new efforts this year to move toward a broader, more flexible undergraduate educational experience that will include a required first-year seminar and the streamlining of major requirements to allow for greater intellectual exploration.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,333 undergraduates, 22,559 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 6:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $56,313 for Peabody Institute, $58,720 for the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 9%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, Economics, Public Health Studies, International Studies

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
This private, Jesuit institution offers undergraduate and graduate programs on a beautiful urban campus in northern Baltimore City. Education at Loyola is based in the Jesuit tradition of scholarship cura personalis, or care for the whole person. Loyola is known for its academic rigor while helping students lead purposeful lives. Seventy percent of students study abroad. It currently ranks fourth in best universities in the North region according to U.S. News & World Report.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 3,787 undergraduates, 1,353 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 12:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $53,430
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 80%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business, Management, Marketing, Journalism, Social Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, English Language and Literature, Engineering and Education.

McDANIEL COLLEGE
McDaniel College sits in a bucolic setting near Westminster in Carroll County. The private, four-year liberal arts college offers more than 70 undergraduate programs of study and more than 20 graduate programs. McDaniel’s most recent addition to its curriculum is a National Security Fellows Program that provides students with knowledge, skills, and experience in national security as well as the ability to specialize in an area of interest, such as interstate conflict, intrastate political violence, cybersecurity, ethics, and human rights.

Also new this year, McDaniel appointed an inaugural associate provost for equity and belonging who provides vision and leadership to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and works in collaboration with the provost to co-lead the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion administrative committee, and guides the Bias Education Response Support Team.

The school also launched a new STEM Center to serve as a physical hub to support students studying the sciences. It hosts workshops and other events while also supplying online and hybrid support.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 1,757 undergraduates, 1,324 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 13:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $46,336
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Kinesiology, Business Administration, Psychology, Biology, Political Science, International Studies

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The largest of Maryland’s HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Morgan is a public institution founded in 1867. It is situated in northeast Baltimore. As a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution, Morgan provides instruction to a multiethnic, multiracial, multinational student body and offers more than 140 academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan fulfills its mission to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment through intense community level study and pioneering solutions.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 6,270 undergraduates, 1,364 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 15:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $8,008 for in-state and $18,480 for out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 73%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Civil Engineering, Communications Engineering, Business Administration and Management, Social Work, Biology/Biological Sciences, Architecture, Finance, Psychology, Sociology

NOTRE DAME OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY
A private, Catholic liberal arts university in northern Baltimore, Notre Dame of Maryland University offers programs from undergraduate through PhD, as well as Maryland’s only women’s college. It recently launched the first master’s of art degree in Art Therapy program in the state.
The beautiful, wooded campus is just steps from the bustling downtown Baltimore culture. With values rooted in Catholicism, the school focuses on service to others and social responsibility.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 783
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 7:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $39,675
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 88%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Nursing, Education, Biology, Art Therapy, Pharmacy

TOWSON UNIVERSITY
One of the largest public universities in the state, Towson University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and continues to draw students from other states, though it remains part of the University System of Maryland.

Its campus continues to expand, with a huge new dining hall, a 23,000-foot recreation and fitness facility with an indoor swimming pool, and its 5,200-seat arena for sporting events and concerts. In 2021, it opened its new Science Complex, the largest academic building on campus at 320,000 square feet.

In September, Towson opened its StarTUp at the Armory, a space for startups and new businesses to engage with the broader community and larger businesses. It serves as a home to Towson’s entrepreneurship programs, as well as student competitions and events.

While Towson remains the largest supplier of medical professionals and educators in the state, the university has also built a strong reputation for its College of Fine Arts and Communication, as well as its Asian Arts & Culture Center, both of which bring students into the wider community and the Baltimore community to Towson for enriching performing arts, music, and visual art programs.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 17,907 undergraduates, 2,949 graduates
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 16:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $7,100 in-state, $22,152 out-of-state
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Business Administration, Education, Nursing, Exercise Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE
University of Maryland, Baltimore is Maryland’s only public health, law, and human services university. Located in downtown Baltimore, it offers 86 degree and certificate programs through its six nationally ranked professional schools—dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work—and an interdisciplinary graduate school.

The school’s 14-acre BioPark is Baltimore’s biggest biotechnology cluster, employing 1,000 people, and remains on the cutting edge of new drugs, treatments, and medical devices.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 7,244
• ANNUAL TUITION: Varies by school
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Social Work

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY
University of Maryland, Baltimore County educates a campus of more than 10,000 students in programs spanning the arts, engineering, information technology, humanities, sciences, preprofessional studies, and social sciences. Located on the edge of Baltimore County, it allows easy access into the city and all the conveniences of suburban life and housing. It also offers plenty of opportunities for study abroad.

In the fall of 2021, UMBC opened the Center for Well-Being, a new two-story complex that houses Retriever Integrated Health, Student Conduct and Community Standards, and i3b’s Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being. UMBC’s already significant NASA partnerships have continued to grow. In October, NASA announced a major award of $72 million over three years for the new Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II center. UMBC is leading the national consortium and will receive over $38 million. The GESTAR II consortium will support over 120 researchers, creating extensive opportunities for breakthroughs in Earth and atmospheric science research, and providing major opportunities for students to conduct research and be mentored by NASA scientists and engineers.

• SIZE OF STUDENT BODY: 13,638
• STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO: 17:1
• ANNUAL TUITION: $12,280 in-state, $28,470 out-of-state
• ACCEPTANCE RATE: 81%
• POPULAR AREAS OF STUDY: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Psychology, Visual and Performing Arts

Cited tuition costs exclude room and board and books.

I ripped open the mustard-colored, legal-size envelope. I could tell by the handwriting, it was from my father. The only other time he had sent me a letter was when I was a child at sleep-away camp. A note, paper-clipped to a handful of legal documents, read, “put these in a safe place.” There were: Health Care Directives, Living Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, and Trust Agreements—reminders of my parents’ mortality. One by one, I skimmed the legalese. When I saw my name, I paused. My parents had appointed me their Power of Attorney, to make their life and death decisions. It made sense, I am the eldest child and an attorney. Even so, I felt anointed. Now, a decade later, the power is paralyzing.

My father passed away from a heart attack three years ago. He and my mother had been married for 63 years. My mother crumbled. She spent most of the following year in bed and her muscles atrophied. She developed Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Now, at age 85, she wears a diaper underneath her black pull-up slacks and she’s confined to a wheelchair. She cannot wipe her runny nose, plop a piece of chocolate into her mouth, nor wrap a shawl around her cold shoulders. She lives in a senior living community in South Florida, near my brother and sister. A team of caretakers provides her with round-the-clock care.

Late in the summer, my sister came to visit me in Baltimore. We were at dinner and had just ordered wine, when my cell phone rang.

“Mrs. Black?”

“Yes”

“This is your mother’s aide. Please don’t worry. But your mother’s been lethargic and has stopped eating—I erred on caution and called her doctor. He said to call an ambulance. We’re at the hospital now. I will keep you posted.”

Soon after, my mother’s doctor called me. He had conferred with the emergency room physician. They suspected that my mother had a bowel blockage and admitted her for testing and observation. If their suspicions were confirmed, she’d have surgery in the morning. Between tears and fears, my sister and I spent the rest of dinner searching for flights to Miami. There weren’t any flights that night, so we booked the first plane out the next morning.

When we arrived at the hospital, my mother was out of surgery and stable. But our relief was short-lived. Mom developed multiple infections and complications—her kidneys began to shut down. Each morning, I would drive from my hotel to the hospital, hoping that my mother’s kidneys had reversed their decline. Creatinine, a word I’d never heard of before her hospitalization, became a part of my daily vocabulary. It is an indicator of kidney function. My mother’s normal level was 0.5; it was now 3.6

A parade of “ologists” consulted on her case: urologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, neurologists, and others. None of them were optimistic. Eventually, her doctor took me aside and said, “We need to talk.” He ushered me down the hall and into a legal-pad colored room, just big enough to hold a two-seat sofa, an arm chair, and a wooden table. It smelled like antiseptics. I sat on the sofa, he sat across from me in the arm chair.

In a matter-of-fact voice he said, “Are you her power of attorney?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we can’t find a DNR, (do not resuscitate). You need to sign one. I’m sorry, but there is not much more we can do for your mother. Her kidneys are failing—it doesn’t look good.”

“There’s nothing you can do?”

“She’s 85 years old. She is not a candidate for dialysis. If she shuts down, it would be cruel to insert a feeding tube or keep her alive with artificial means.”

He handed me a yellow paper to sign, in large caps it read, “DO NOT RESUSCITATE.” I held it away from me, as if it were my dog’s newly filled poop bag.

“Okay, let me talk with my family. I’ll get back to you in the morning.”

“I understand. And, if it’s alright, I’ll have someone from hospice get in touch with you.”

I am not good at making irreversible decisions—I struggled with neutering my dog. I didn’t want to sign the DNR, nor agree to hospice. I did not want to play a role in my mother’s death.

I went back to her hospital room. I kissed her and said, “I love you. I’ll be back tomorrow.” Then, I drove to my hotel room to reread those documents from that mustard colored envelope that my father had sent years ago. They were now downloaded onto my iPhone. This time, I read them as if my mother’s life was at stake. The boilerplate language said:

“If at any time I am incapacitated, and I have an end-stage condition . . . and no reasonable medical probability of recovery . . . I direct that life prolonging procedures be withheld . . . ”

Initially, I thought I was off the hook—her directives were clear. It was my job to execute, not to decide. But then, in less time than it takes for my nail polish to dry, I thought back to all the papers my businessman father had asked my mother to sign over the years. She never read them. He said, “Sign.” She said, “Where?”

I also thought about my mother’s fear of dying: If she sneezed in the morning, she called her doctor by afternoon. She made an appointment for her flu shot, before the vaccine was released. She wouldn’t allow us to visit her if we had a cold. A headache was indicative of a brain tumor. Her favorite hand lotion was Purell.

Would she want to fight now?

In the past, I had tried to talk to my mother about her wishes. She never said, “Let me die, naturally.” I pushed her, trying to avoid this very situation, “Mom, if the only way to live is with a feeding tube down your nose or in your stomach, do you want that?”

“Okay, fine. Do whatever you want. I’m not talking about it anymore.”

Knowing that I had to get back to the doctor by morning, I stayed up most of that night talking with my family. Everyone agreed that Mom no longer had quality of life. Artificial interventions were more for us than for her. It was selfish to cause her more pain. If she died, who were we to play God and revive her? Fear of dying is not the same as choosing life.

The next morning, I went to the hospital with the signed, yellow DNR. But the decision was no longer in my hands. Mom’s creatinine levels had dropped—her kidneys were improving. The potent antibiotics prescribed for her infections may have harmed her kidneys. The nephrologist changed medicines and she responded. Mom continued to progress and by the end of the week, after a month of hospitalization, they sent her home.

My siblings and I met with the hospice people before her discharge. They educated us and made us question whether, given my mother’s age and condition, it was fair to put her through any more hospitalizations. They could help enhance her quality of life. If we changed our minds, we could withdraw their services.

That was five months ago. Mom’s kidneys have stabilized, though her Parkinson’s has progressed. While oftentimes she’s miserable, there are still sparkles of joy. She enjoys TV shows like America’s Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars. She smiles when I visit—especially when I bring sesame-covered bagels. She insists that her jewelry matches her outfits. And she loves to sing.

I’ve played and replayed a video that my sister texted me last week. It’s of a hospice volunteer, strumming her guitar while singing to my mother, “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day.” Mom cocks her head to listen. Her eyes twinkle with recognition. She joins in, “I got a beautiful feeling, everything’s going my way.”

If I look at the video too closely, I can’t help but spot the emergency notebook lying on her kitchen counter. It holds that yellow DNR. My signature is at the bottom.

Even as science and technology fling us into the future, it seems like more and more people are harkening back to the past. In the food world, that’s exhibited through the farm-to-table dining movement, the rise of Prohibition-era cocktails, and, now, the resurgence of grassroots apothecaries to aid common ailments in a natural, old-fashioned way with many herbs and spices commonly found in your kitchen or garden.

Herbal medicine dates back hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years—as far as the papyrus scrolls of Ancient China and Egypt, on which its abilities to treat and prevent diseases are noted. Sure, some of it is snake oil, and they’re hardly panaceas, but after falling out of favor for chemical drugs in the 1800s, the time-honored practice is regaining popularity, with some 80 percent of the planet now using herbalism as a primary form of healthcare. 

In Baltimore, local makers are handcrafting medicinal blends of herbs and spices, too. A touch of turmeric here, a dash of ginger there. A sprig of rosemary, a sprinkle of chamomile. Through teas, tinctures, and tonics, these homemade remedies are helping us heal our bodies without Tylenol or a trip to the doctor. As medical costs continue to skyrocket, herbal medicine “has really bloomed in recent years,” says herbalist Jen Ehrhardt of the longstanding Zensations in Hampden, where she makes a medley of herb-infused products such as cordials and teas. “People are really being called to the plants right now. They’re looking for new ways to take care of themselves, and others, naturally.” 

That was the case with Katelyn Jarkowiec of Hey Thanks! Herbal Co.
“I went through a terrible breakup that did a number on me emotionally, which then started to play out physically,” she says. After murky medical diagnoses, she researched traditional Chinese medicine and, before long, started slowly feeling better. She now uses homegrown and foraged herbs and flowers in everything from bitters for better digestion to elixirs for stress relief and cramps. “They’re not cure-alls,” she says, “but you can use plants to give your body gentle nudges towards being healthy.”

Sarah Acconcia Norris of Juniper Culinary Apothecary even hopes to integrate these important ingredients into our way of eating. “Food is medicine, and nature makes everything we need,” says the former chef, who used natural remedies to heal after restaurant-industry burnout. Her Mt. Vernon Marketplace shop is an old-world treasure trove of superfood spices to be stocked on your kitchen shelves. “I’m not a doctor,” she says, “but we can still make these ingredients accessible, easy, and delicious to eat. This isn’t about diet culture. It’s about supporting your body. It’s about helping you be your best self.”

When you ask Dr. Leigh Ann Curl about her most memorable moments as the head orthopedic surgeon with the Baltimore Ravens, she doesn’t talk about Dennis Pitta’s hips or Marshal Yanda’s knees or Joe Flacco’s back.

“I remember the excitement of the first NFL season,” Curl said, recalling 1999, when she was added to the Ravens’ staff by their then-head orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Claude T. Moorman. “Certainly, I had self-doubts. I was young and didn’t have much experience. I remember the two Super Bowl years [2000 and 2012 seasons]. It is what they play the games for. Whatever minute role you had in it, you certainly appreciate as a team physician what it takes to get there. So many never get there.”

During the course of a football season, Curl, 53, gets to know everyone—players, families, agents and coaches. And she gets to see how hard they work, how much the game means to them. 

For more from Dr. Curl, including her days on the UCONN basketball team and becoming the first female orthopedic surgeon in the NFL, read the full story at PressBoxOnline.com.

The story of Henrietta Lacks has resonated with people around the world—through an award-winning book by author Rebecca Skloot and most recently, through a movie produced by and starring Oprah Winfrey that premieres this Sunday on HBO.

Now, that story will be immortalized further through a mural that Lacks’ granddaughter, Jeri Lacks Whye, and a Philadelphia-based art studio are working together to bring to life. They’ve also enlisted The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and see the process of creating the mural as a way to start conversations about the tensions between the storied medical institution and the surrounding community.   

“Jeri always says, ‘I just want people to know my grandma,’” says Lizzie Kripke, co-principal artist at Meg Saligman Studio. “Her grandmother is someone who’s a part of all of us now, in a literal way if we’ve had a polio vaccine.”

On January 29, 1951, Hopkins doctors took a biopsy from Henrietta Lacks—wife of a Bethlehem Steel worker—who had an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Though she passed away eight months later, the tissue, used by researchers without her consent, went on to establish the cell line HeLa—the first immortal human cells ever grown in a culture, which have been invaluable to medicine ever since. 

“There’s a lot of beauty in the science and in her life and family, along with the darker side,” Kripke says. “If we can cast things in a positive light, and acknowledge what’s gone wrong but also celebrate what’s gone right, I think that’s a different way to present this.”

She and the Lacks family are still deciding the site for the mural, and Kripke expects that the bulk of the work will take place next year.

“We’ll feature Henrietta Lacks, but it’s not going to be just a picture that memorializes her,” she says. “It’s going to pull lots of elements from the area as well as her life and story.”

The process of designing the mural will include getting Henrietta Lacks’ family, community members, and Hopkins doctors and officials in the same room for discussion.

“We can’t overstate what the art will do, as this story touches on so many interconnected issues,” Kripke says. “But I do think art is effective in getting the ball rolling and shifting culture in one way or another.”

Do you believe in Western medicine, but also think Eastern practices have some validity? 

Then Columbia’s Nava Health and Vitality Center is the place for you. 

“We integrate a full complement of therapies to optimize the wellness of the client,” says medical director Douglas Lord, above. 

Whether you’re suffering fatigue, insomnia, pain, anxiety, digestive issues—and the list goes on—Nava doctors work together to create what they call a Custom Vitality Plan tailored to your specific needs and with your whole body in mind. 

“If someone comes in with a headache, they don’t walk out with a pill or other narrowed antidote,” explains Ana Goldseker, the director of nutrition. 

“We are able to check hormones, posture, muscle tension, and food choices to really find out where the headaches are coming from, rather than just treating the symptoms.” Dr. Mark Sivieri, a medical adviser, explains collaborative services. 

“We offer a multitude of therapies, including acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, nutritional counseling, hyperbaric oxygen, as well as intravenous vitamins,” he says. But no matter the treatment, Goldseker assures us that teamwork is the key. “There isn’t a decision made without the input of all practitioners.”