Theme: {De/Re} Construct

TEDxTufts is delighted to present our 9th annual conference “[De/Re] Construct”. This year’s talks will introduce ideas that test the boundaries of the status quo, forcing us to rethink what we have complacently accepted to be the norm. Our speakers seek to break down commonly held ideas, phrases, and practices, establishing a fresh foundation for new ideas that will invigorate movement towards a bright future.

Joyce Cummings Center
177 College Ave
Medford, Massachusetts, 02155
United States

Anthony Monaco

President of Tufts University

Anthony Monaco has been the president of Tufts University since 2011 and is currently serving in his final year. Prior to his presidency, he received is M.D. and his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard University. Through his work as a geneticist, his research led to the discovery of the gene responsible for X-linked Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies and led a research group that first identified a particular gene that involved human speech and language. He went on to hold a faculty post at the University of Oxford where he eventually became the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Resources before coming to Tufts

Ariel Watriss

Tufts Sexual Health Care Specialist

Ariel Watriss NP-C (any pronouns) is a health provider at Tufts University Health Services. They started there in 2013 and in June 2018 were promoted to be the Sexual health specialist for the clinic. While at Tufts, they have designed and implemented new clinical online programs increasing access to HIV PrEP, STI testing and contraception services. They serve as a main consultant to a peer health education group called the Sex Health Reps. Their professional areas of interest include LGBTQIA health, sexual health, and helping young adults navigate their own health advocacy. They also work closely with providers to develop improved clinical skills that are inclusive, trauma informed and consent based. They have presented talks at multiple national and regional conferences on HIV PrEP/PEP/sexual health, and have served as a panelist on various CDC and HRSA HIV prevention education programs.

Calvin Gidney

Professor

Calvin “Chip” Gidney is an Associate Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University where he teaches courses in children’s language development, bilingualism and bilingual education, and the introductory course in Child Development. He is the co-principal investigator of the Children’s Television Project (CTV), an ongoing longitudinal content analysis of children’s animated television that examines questions related to the representation of multiple identities and groups. His current work focuses on representations of fat characters in children’s cartoons, and its relationship to anti-fat bias in children. Dr. Gidney’s interest in sociolinguistics, the study of multiple social aspects of language structure and change, is influenced by his own lived experience as a multilingual, queer, African-American man.

Juan Gnecco

Professor

Juan Gnecco is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, the principal investigator of the Laboratory of Reproductive Engineering, and an associate principal investigator at the Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI) at Tufts University. Dr. Gnecco obtained a B.S. in Biotechnology from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) where he developed the first Organ-on-Chip model of the perivascular endometrium. He conducted his post-doctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Dept. of Biological Engineering. He is part of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation initiative to unify experimental models for endometriosis, a member of the Gates Foundation Global Health Integrative Organoid Consortium (2021) and was selected as a Rising Star in Engineering and Health by Columbia University (2020).

Malia Kiang

Student

Malia Kiang is a Tufts senior majoring in Film & Media Studies with a minor in Philosophy. In addition to her studies, Malia develops curriculum and handson educational workshops in entrepreneurship for K12 students and enjoys performing with her a cappella group, Enchanted. She is from Honolulu, Hawai’i and has a deep love and appreciation for film and television. Her must-watch films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ratatouille, and Grave of the Fireflies.

Michael Sandler

Psychology Teacher & Pinball Enthusiast

Michael Sandler earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts in 2007 and has taught Psychology courses at nearby Arlington High School since then. A "Double Jumbo," he graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology in 1996. His years in the Crafts House spurred him to careers in design, home remodeling, and cooking before landing him back in the classroom. Michael's wife and two children know all too well about his enthusiasm for pinball, which he's excited to share at TEDxTufts.

Ravi Shankar

Professor

Dr. Ravi Shankar is a Pushcart prize-winning poet, translator and professor who has published 15 books, including the Muse India award-winning translations Andal: The Autobiography of a Goddess and The Many Uses of Mint: New and Selected Poems 1997- 2017. Along with Tina Chang and Nathalie Handal, he co-edited W.W. Norton's Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia & Beyond called "a beautiful achievement for world literature" by Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer. He has taught and performed around the world and appeared in print, radio and TV in such venues as The New York Times, NPR, BBC and the PBS Newshour. He has won awards to the Corporation of Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony, fellowships from the Rhode Island and Connecticut Counsel on the Arts, founded one of the oldest electronic journals of the arts Drunken Boat.

Sarah Lee Day

Justice Catalyst Fellow

Sarah Lee Day is a Justice Catalyst Fellow at Reproductive Equity Now, where she does legal policy work on abortion, contraceptive access, maternal health disparities, crisis pregnancy centers, and bodily autonomy in a “post-Roe” America. Sarah Lee earned her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, where she completed internships, including: human rights legal advocacy with the Due Diligence Project, reproductive rights impact litigation with the Lawyering Project, and reproductive rights policy work with NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. Prior to law school, Sarah Lee obtained a B.F.A. from Cornish College of the Arts, a B.S. in Psychology from Arizona State University, and an M.A. in Social Justice and Human Rights from Arizona State University. Sarah Lee is currently teaching EXP-0024: The Right to Abortion at Tufts Experimental College.

Sheriden Thomas

Professor

Sheriden is an American trained classical actress, who worked in the League of Resident Theatres circuit for decades, then she/they became a teacher and theatre director. In the last several years, Sheriden has found a sweet and more peaceful and playful home in the practice of Tai Chi and Physical Comedy – Clown. Sheriden retired from full time teaching at Tufts at the end of spring semester 2022. She is happy for the opportunity TEDxTufts for their 2023 series will afford.

Tamara Vesel

Chief of the Division of Palliative care in the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center

Dr. Tamara Vesel is a pediatric and adult palliative care physician, Chief of the Division of Palliative care in the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center and Associate professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Dr Vesel is committed to advancing care for patients with serious and life-limiting illness. Her areas of expertise include knowledge of pain and symptom management, communication in medicine, end-of-life care, bereavement support, medical ethics, integrative medicine, and clinical hypnosis and mindfulness in medicine. Dr. Vesel has research interests in the disparities in communication and end of life care, nationally and internationally. Prior to joining Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Vesel developed a pediatric hospice program in the Boston area and was a director of the Fellowship Program at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School.