Media Advisory: Jacobs School to hold ribbon-cutting on Feb. 22 for ‘Celebration of Diversity’ mural

BUFFALO, N.Y. – With its glass walls, skylights and cascading bridges, the atrium in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo is without a doubt the building’s most dramatic feature.

So the atrium was exactly the right place to make a powerful and permanent statement about how important diversity, community and a sense of belonging are to the Jacobs School and its visitors.

On Thursday, Feb. 22, the atrium will be the site of a ribbon-cutting for the “Celebration of Diversity,” the massive, 50-foot-wide by 16-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling mural that local artist Julia Bottoms has been masterfully bringing to life over the past few months.

The mural features 10 current Jacobs School students, fellows, residents and alumni, some of whom will be present at the event.

What: Ribbon-cutting of the “Celebration of Diversity” mural.

When and where: 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22, in the second-floor atrium of the Jacobs School, 955 Main St., Buffalo.

Who: Speakers will include:

·       Allison Brashear, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School.

·       Julia Bottoms, the artist.

·       Raul Vazquez, MD, a 1989 Jacobs School graduate and president of CINQCARE New York, and his wife, Toni Gaiter-Vazquez, EdD, a 1991 UB graduate, whose donation made the mural possible. Together, they are the founders of Urban Family Practice and the Greater Buffalo United Accountable Healthcare Network (GBUAHN) in Buffalo.

The mural was made possible by the Vazquez family; the late Jonathan D. Daniels, MD ’98, BA ’92; the Office of the Dean; the Medical Alumni Association; the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement; the Office of Medical Admissions; the Office of Medical Advancement in University Advancement; the UB Art Committee; and the Jacobs School’s facilities team.