In this episode, we engage with Professor Mays Imad's transformative lecture, Addressing Continuities of Trauma in Higher Education: Fostering Equity and Intergenerational Wellbeing. A neuroscientist and educator, Prof Imad seamlessly combines personal anecdotes, cutting-edge research, and student narratives to explore the profound impact of trauma on academic spaces. Drawing from her own experiences growing up in Baghdad and her journey as an educator, she highlights how the 2020 pandemic made trauma more visible, exposing its collective and systemic dimensions. Moderated by Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, the conversation delves into the physiological effects of trauma, the role of institutional courage in fostering resilience, and the importance of empathy and love as guiding principles in education. Prof Imad’s call for educators to reimagine their roles as catalysts for healing and transformation offers an inspiring vision for a more humane higher education system.

Through thoughtful engagement with the audience, Prof Imad challenges traditional approaches to education, urging educators to recognise the ancestral wisdom students bring into classrooms. She emphasises that true resilience stems from supportive systems, not individual endurance, and advocates for rethinking academic spaces as environments for growth, healing, and connection. This episode is a powerful reminder of education’s potential to transcend its academic purpose, becoming a force for care and societal transformation. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that will inspire educators, students, and leaders to embrace a more compassionate and inclusive vision for higher learning.

Mays Imad Dr Mays Imad’s academic journey began at the University of Michigan–Dearborn, where she pursued philosophy and minored in chemistry. She earned a doctoral degree in cellular & clinical neurobiology, with a minor in biomedical sciences, from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona’s Department of Neuroscience, she joined Pima Community College (PCC), teaching a variety of biology-related subjects. During her tenure at PCC, she founded their Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). Currently an associate professor at Connecticut College, Dr. Imad is interested in understanding the social determinants of student wellbeing and success and conducts research on equity pedagogy. Her work reflects a deep commitment to equity and justice in and through education. With fervor, she advocates for institutions to pay close attention to intergenerational trauma and to prioritize healing and wellbeing. She is a Gardner Institute Fellow, AAC&U Senior STEM Fellow, and a Mind and Life Institute Fellow.