YCSC Grand Rounds: Dream and Deliver—A Legacy of Service

Session Description

At 34, Erik Clemons was at a crossroads. After a successful career in the U.S. Postal Service, which provided well for his family, he went back to school to fulfill his dream to teach and serve young Black children growing up within conditions and structures that he knew well as a child. This decision began a 20-year journey that never wavered from the “why” and tested his faith by taking risks on the “how”. He has used storytelling that centers the voices of those often silenced to bring real life to the intellectual fray, which is just one of the strategies he has used to build a deep and impactful legacy of service in his personal and professional life.

In this fireside chat with YCSC Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tara Davila, participants will hear the story of Clemons' inspiring journey as a heart-centered leader, from working in a mailroom to co-founding and leading Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP), an organization whose mission is to drive economic development and economic justice to the Dixwell and Newhallville communities of New Haven.

The learning objectives for this session are to understand:

1. Strategies for navigating product-driven systems when the expected outcomes are human dignity, love, and justice
2. How to leverage purpose to navigate uncertainty
3. Using storytelling as a successful strategy for fundraising

Continuing Education

YCSC Grand Rounds are reviewed for eligibility for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits on an annual basis and most lecture-style sessions are approved for the year. Yale School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Individual event designation details are provided at applicable live events.

This session is the first of the 2024-2025 leadership-focused Grand Rounds special lecture series, Exploring and Enhancing Leadership in the Academy. The goal of this series is to provide an open forum with leaders who are committed to principles of collaboration and service, at the Yale School of Medicine and beyond.

YCSC Grand Rounds sessions are typically presented in the Cohen Auditorium at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays from September through June, with a live stream available via Zoom. Internal participants are encouraged to attend sessions in person​​​​​. Recordings are posted on-line as soon as they are available.