Join Rainier Olympic Nurses Association for our first book discussion –

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells- taken without her knowledge in 1951- became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more.

It’s a story inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we’re made of.

Open to all RNs, LPNs and nursing students who live or work in Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Grays Harbor, Clallam and Jefferson counties. Nurses who attend and complete an evaluation form will receive a certificate of attendance that meets the continuing competency requirement for license renewal in Washington State.

Discussion Facilitator:

Anne Mariella, PhD, MS, MPH, RN, CNM | Pacific Lutheran University School of Nursing

Options for buying or borrowing the book: