The newest iteration of the Dr. Harold W. Sunoo World Peace Lecture Series will take place on Thursday, April 9 at Central Methodist University, with Dr. Ambereen Sleemi slated to give the latest annual address. Sleemi’s lecture will be titled, “First Do No Harm: A Health Report from Gaza,” and will take place at 7 p.m. in Linn Memorial United Methodist Church.

Dr. Ambereen Sleemi is a board certified urogynecologist and obstetric fistula surgeon. She is the executive director and co-founder of the non-profit International Medical Response. She is on the executive committee of the International Society for Obstetric Fistula Surgeons (ISOFS). Sleemi leads IMR urogyn/fistula surgical teaching programs in various global sites including Ukraine, Liberia, Pakistan, and the Gambia.

Dr. Sleemi’s interests lie in medical education, expanding surgical training in areas of need, and working for equity in healthcare delivery across the globe. Her recent experience in the field includes working with mothers in Gaza who have been affected by the ongoing war.

About the lecture series

In the spring of 2015, just before his passing, The Dr. Harold W. Sunoo World Peace Lecture Series was established by the Sunoo family to sponsor an annual guest speaker to stimulate students to think about how they can use their education to contribute to world peace. Dr. Sunoo was well-known for challenging his students to “use your brains and think,” and took his responsibility to stimulate critical thinking among his students very seriously.

Dr. Sunoo was hired by Central Methodist University in 1962. After 30 years, he retired with distinction as the Division Chair for Social Sciences and as the first Bishop Eugene Frank Professor. He published more than 20 academic books during his career and taught for shorter periods at the University of Washington, NY City College, University of California Berkeley, and Irvine and Yonsei University, Republic of Korea.

His legacy will live on through the thousands of students who were influenced by his teaching, and the legions of Korean activists who drew inspiration from his life. Through the Dr. Harold W. Sunoo World Peace Lecture Series, his kindness, global vision, and wisdom will continue to touch the students at his beloved Central Methodist.

This year’s lecture will be livestreamed for those unable to attend here: https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/91525233256.