The Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York will sponsor an Implicit Bias Workshop, on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 410 N. Main St., Jamestown.

The event will feature a presentation by Dr. Ursuline R. Bankhead with opening remarks by The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Implicit bias is an unconscious set of beliefs, assumptions or stereotypes that affect a person’s understanding and responses to certain social groups. It impacts all people – regardless of race, culture, age, gender identity, ability status or belief system. Bankhead’s interactive presentation will provide definitions of bias and implicit bias; clarify how implicit bias impacts everyone personally, culturally, and spiritually; and help participants recognize the impact of implicit bias.

Bankhead is a member of the Commission and has presented programs on the topics of communication, health equity, implicit bias, grief and loss, aging, cognitive impairment, and gender issues to various groups and organizations in Western NY and throughout the Episcopal Church. She is a native of Buffalo and a graduate of Buffalo Public Schools. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Penn State University; her masters degree in marriage and family therapy from East Carolina University; and her doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University at Buffalo. She works as a psychologist in Western New York and leads programs and initiatives to address issues of equity and inclusion.

“Research has demonstrated just how irrational the human mind can be-with hidden assumptions and implicit biases silently functioning in the background to skew our view of reality.” says the Rev. Luke Fodor, Rector of St. Luke’s. “Join us as we discover the hidden ‘malware’ that has infiltrated our thinking patterns and seek to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).”