The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts hosted full capacity audiences in the largest ever student lecture and sold out evening presentation on September 13th when Dr. Sanjay Gupta appeared as the first featured presenter of the new season.
During the student lecture, students from 17 central Ohio area schools had the opportunity to ask Dr. Gupta about his career journey, healthcare, the media and more. Dr. Gupta connected with the students, telling them, “I always find that there’s a lot more good than bad in those situations, whether it’s in a war zone, whether it’s in the middle of a natural disaster, or whether it’s a place like the Amazon rainforest. There are so many wonderful things in the world, so many wonderful stories to be told that tie us all together that it makes me really, really inspired.”
Schools that participated in the student lecture included Columbus Academy, Columbus School for Girls, Cristo Rey Columbus High School, Granville High School, KIPP Columbus, Licking Heights High School, Marburn Academy, Pleasant High School, New Albany High School, Pickerington Central High School, Pickerington North High School, St. Charles Preparatory School, St. Francis DeSales High School, The Wellington School, Whitehall-Yearling High School, Thomas Worthington High School, and Worthington Kilbourne High School. The student lecture was made possible by The New Albany Community Foundation sponsors: The Barbara W. & Philip R. Derrow Family Foundation, Donna & Nick Akins Fund, Karen & Irving Dennis Family Fund, Redgrave Family Fund, Christine & Jeffrey Rodek Fund, Lynne & Steve Smith Family Fund, Leslie H. Wexner Jefferson Series Fund, Abercrombie & Fitch, Conway Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Beatrice Wolper, Trustee, Mount Carmel, Daimler, AT&T, Bob-Boyd Lincoln of Columbus, and Barnes & Thornburg LLP.
The evening lecture, which had been sold out two months in advance, was presented in collaboration with community partner Healthy New Albany and included a welcome from Healthy New Albany Founder, Dr. Phil Heit. Dr. Gupta was then interviewed on stage by Pelotonia President and CEO and longtime friend, Doug Ulman. They spent an hour exploring topics of health and wellness while sharing insight on pressing public health issues, healthcare, Dr. Gupta’s dual careers and much more. The presentation concluded with Dr. Gupta taking questions from the audience, one of which included, “I’ve read that you listen to Pearl Jam music during your surgeries, is this true?”
“Yeah, I love Eddie Vedder too,” Dr. Gupta answered. “I have four playlists, it’s kind of funny, I like music. I think music sort of sets the tone for an operating room, when the operation is going well we often don’t have to talk much… but we have opening music for brain operations, closing music for brain operations, opening music for spine operations, closing music for spine operations. Everyone knows the soundtracks, and I’ve been doing it a long time.”
At the very end of the evening, Dr. Gupta was presented with a custom Ohio State football jersey. A two time graduate of the University of Michigan, Dr. Gupta accepted the gift and said, “I will wear this… in the privacy of my own home.”