Medicine and the Exploitation of Black Bodies from their childhoods of warnings to steer clear of MCV late at night, for fear that they might be snatched away to the dissecting room, never to be seen or heard from again. Utsey demonstrates how – much like the effects of unethical medical experiments and other incidences of medical apartheid where African Americans were the major victims – the legacy of grave robbing Drawing connections between the historical Black experience for medical dissection is indelibly etched into the psyches of and its effects on the psyche of African Americans as they navi- African Americans today. These practices, he notes, have all gate society today, and then communicating these relationships fueled contemporary attitudes that African Americans hold toin an accessible and impactful way can be a tall order. wards medicine. But Shawn Utsey, Ph.D., professor of psychology and chair of While the filmmaking process can be lengthy, Utsey says that it the African American Studies department, makes it all seem presents a unique way to creatively condense his passion for effortless using an unconventional (for psychology) but insightresearch in psychology and African American studies, and his ful research process—documentary filmmaking. commitment to social activism, and holding various institutions In his latest documentary, Until the Well Runs Dry: Medicine accountable for their past actions, into a platform that is accessiand the Exploitation of Black Bodies, Utsey explores the prac- ble to audiences in both the academic and general community. tice of disinterring cadavers (grave robbing or bodysnatching) In fact, his work has received important accolades that speak to for purposes of medical dissection and examines how this has both the creative quality of his work and the social relevance of contributed to African American mistrust of the medical estabits content. Until the Well Runs Dry, which premiered in Nolishment today. This nefarious practice was widespread in the vember last year and has already been aired on local television, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States. In was recently selected for participation in the Virginia Film FesRichmond, Va., the epicenter for the domestic trade in enslaved tival, slated for November 2013. Africans during the 1800's, African Americans – both living and dead – were especially vulnerable. Black bodies dispropor- Utsey's first documentary, Meet Me in the Bottom: The Struggle to Reclaim Richmond's tionately turned up as African Burial Ground, anatomical material on won the 2010 Virginia the dissecting tables of Independent Film Festhe Medical College of tival award for Best Virginia, the University Documentary, as well of Virginia and other as the Audience medical schools in the Choice Award. state and beyond. In fact, many longtime Richmond residents interviewed for the documentary recount stories
Shawn Utsey, Ph.D.
Faculty Spotlight
Phi Kappa Phi Initiation
Steven Danish, Ph.D., professor in our counseling program, is the founder of F.R.E.E. 4 Vets, which is a program to help veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan develop the skills necessary for their transition to civilian life. Learn more about Dr. Danish.
Congratulations to Wendy Kliewer, Ph.D., department chair and professor of developmental psychology, who was recently initiated into Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society promoting the pursuit of excellence in all academic fields.