Bold women saluted at UNMC event

From left: Event participants Fran Higgins, Linda Cunningham, Bobbie Ausubel and Athena Ramos display a banner that will hang in various locations on campus. Throughout the month, employees, faculty and staff are encouraged to add the name of a woman who inspired them.

Although the women’s movement began in 1840, our country is still celebrating “firsts” for women 170 years later.

One of the noted pioneers, Bobbi Ausubel, came to UNMC to inspire and encourage faculty, staff and students to continue to be courageous … even in the routine aspects of their lives.

“Grab your fear and walk with it. Even if you are trembling along the way to doing what’s right,” she said during the “That Takes Ovaries: Bold Women and Their Brazen Acts” event on March 11. It was part of UNMC’s 2010 Diversity Lectures and Cultural Arts Series.

Mark your calendar UNMC surgeon Chandra Are, M.D., will present “Welcome to BOLLYWOOD — a look at Hindi cinema” on Thursday, May 13 at noon in the Durham Research Center Auditorium. Dr. Are’s presentation will commemorate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Free lunch will be provided to the first 40 attendees. Also, those who missed the Feb. 24 Loves Jazz and Arts Center presentation to celebrate Black History Month can view the presentation online.

Ausubel moderated the event, which included dramatic performances of real stories of courage by gusty women: women who stood up for their sexual identity, who were not limited by physical disability and who stood boldly in the face of a late-night home invasion.

Then, medical center employees shared their stories of survival.

They encouraged others to trust their intuition, stand up for themselves and continue the legacy of women’s rights.