2024 Desmond Tutu Lecture Series

American International College is pleased to present the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Lecture in Public Health, featuring Dr. Norbert Goldfield, MD, physician at Baystate Health, and Founder and Executive Director of Healing Across the Divides. The lecture, scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be held in AIC’s Schwartz Campus Center Auditorium, with remote presentations from speakers in Israel and the West Bank.

This event is free and open to the public. Guests may park free of charge in Lot I at the corner of Maynard and State. Click here to view additional map and direction information.

With generous support from

For those unable to attend in person, a livestream of the event will be available: Click here to view livestream.

About the Presentation

Dr. Norbert Goldfield will discuss the work of Healing Across the Divides (HATD), an organization based in Northampton, Massachusetts, which he established twenty years ago. HATD works to enhance healthcare for Israelis and Palestinians by providing grant funding and technical support to community groups in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The lecture will focus on HATD’s approach to fostering peacebuilding through initiatives aimed at improving health.

HATD supports organizations employing evidence-based approaches to address health challenges, including diabetes, lifestyles, youth mental health, heart disease, stroke prevention, and reproductive health. However, the group’s current priority is delivering essential emergency services due to the ongoing conflict in the region.

Dr. Goldfield serves as a practicing internist at Baystate Brightwood Health Center, a community healthcare facility in Springfield. With more than thirty years of experience, he has led restructuring efforts in healthcare systems at both national and community levels. Additionally, he has extensive experience collaborating with those in the Israeli and Palestinian communities.

The lecture will also include virtual appearances from Veronica Vigdorchik in Israel and Nehad Fatah in the West Bank, both program specialists with Healing Across the Divides. They will discuss the health programs funded by HATD in those areas and address the impact of the current conflict on residents.

Vigdorchik, originally from Russia, immigrated to Israel at the age of six with her parents. In addition to her role as an HATD representative, she serves as a facilitator for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. Fatah, a Palestinian American living in Ramallah, West Bank, has been affiliated with HATD since 2016.

This lecture offers an opportunity for both the AIC and local communities to hear compelling stories about people on opposite sides of a conflict working together to advance community health, even amidst stressful and challenging conditions.