The President’s Symposium and White Paper Project will host a virtual speaker event on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 3-4:30 p.m., continuing a UMB-wide conversation about civic leadership and civics education at the graduate level.
The event, titled "Civic Science and Cultural Humility," will feature Jonathan Garlick, DDS, PhD, of Tufts University, who will join UMB for an interactive workshop examining how these frameworks can inform the teaching and learning of civics across disciplines, including the health sciences.
Garlick brings a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective to this work. Trained as a dentist and life scientist, his professional background is rooted in the health sciences, where questions of public responsibility, democratic participation, and trust in institutions are central to professional practice. His career bridges clinical training, scientific inquiry, and civics education, offering a compelling example of how health professionals can contribute to a more civically informed and responsive society.
During the session, Garlick will introduce the concept of civic science and explore how it can support civics education by connecting scientific knowledge to public decision-making and democratic processes. Paired with this discussion will be a focus on cultural humility, emphasizing the ongoing practice of reflection, listening, learning, and ethical awareness needed to prepare students, particularly in health-related fields, to engage thoughtfully with diverse publics.
Designed as an interactive workshop rather than a traditional lecture, the event will invite participants to reflect on how civic science and cultural humility might inform curriculum design, pedagogy, and professional preparation at UMB. Attendees will be encouraged to consider how these ideas could strengthen UMB’s evolving approach to civic leadership and civics education, particularly within a public, urban, graduate-focused institution.
This event contributes to the broader goals of the President’s Symposium and White Paper Project by creating shared space for students, faculty, and staff, especially those in the health sciences, to examine ideas that can shape institutional practice and long-term strategy around civic leadership and civics education.
The event is open to all UMB students, faculty, and staff and will be held virtually. Registration is required and available through UMBengaged. This event is hosted by the Office of Student Success, Leadership, and Engagement on behalf of the Division of Student Affairs. If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please contact DL-SSLE@umaryland.edu at least a week prior to the event.
For those interested in how health, science, democracy, and education intersect, this session offers an opportunity to think collectively about what meaningful civics education inclusive of all disciplines can look like at UMB.