29th Annual Peace Studies Conference features author Dr. Damon Tweedy

Dr. Damon Tweedy will deliver the keynote speech at the 29th Annual Peace Studies Conference Thursday, Sept. 22, at Saint John's University.

His speech, part of a day-long series of events surrounding the theme, "Toward the Beloved Community: Ending Racial Disparities in Health and Wellness," is at 7 p.m. at the Stephen B. Humphrey Auditorium.

The speech and the conference is free and open to the public.

Tweedy is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, "Black Man in a White Coat." The book was selected by Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 Non-Fiction books of 2015.

A graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine, Tweedy completed his medical internship and psychiatry residency at Duke Hospital. He currently is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center, and a staff psychiatrist at the Durham (North Carolina) Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Tweedy has written and lectured on the intersection of race and medicine, having articles published in the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune newspapers, in addition to the medical journals JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) and the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Three other sessions will be held throughout the day at the Founders Room (room 170), Quadrangle Building, SJU:

• "Criminal Injustice System: A Humanitarian Crisis" is from 12:45-2:05 p.m., and features Esther Mulder. The discussion will look at the many layered challenges facing criminal courts and barriers to reform, including mental health. Mulder, a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College and Harvard Law School, has completed over 2,000 hours of pro bono legal work and works for the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Public Defender's Office.
• Excerpts from the award-winning documentary "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" will be shown from 2:20-3:40 p.m. The documentary explores racial and socioeconomic inequities in health. A group discussion led by College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University students will follow the screening.
• Dr. Dan Hoody, chief medical quality officer at Hennepin County Medical Center, will speak on "Doctors on the Front Lines" from 4-5:30 p.m. Hoody will discuss racial disparities in health and wellness he sees both inside and outside the health care system. He will be joined by CSB and SJU graduates currently in medical school or residency, who will serve as rapporteurs.