Brother Dr. Ulysses S. Burley III (Fall 2003) Inducted Into Martin Luther King International Chapel
The Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity was established in 1985 by Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and Dr. Hugh Gloster, to honor individuals whose life and work exemplified the ethical ideals promoted by the College’s most prominent alumnus, Martin Luther King Jr. In 2010, the entire week of spiritual and religious programming was organized under the unified banner of the College of Ministers and Laity. The Board of Preachers, Collegium of Scholars, Board of Sponsors and College of Pastoral Leadership together comprise the Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity.
The boards and collegium are intended to align members of the College of Ministers and Laity into professional networks that will hopefully lead to future collaborations, synergies and moral cosmopolitan discourse. The Collegium of Scholars is comprised of academics and scholars, who may or may not be in the professorate, who are committed to research, writing, teaching and mentoring in a wide variety of disciplines and contexts that promote and give support to the work of peace through moral cosmopolitan social responsibility.
A native of Houston, Texas, Ulysses W. Burley III studied at Morehouse College and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM). Ulysses previously held an associate position at Northwestern University FSM Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Clinical Research Unit and a position as Program Director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Strategy on HIV/AIDS. He now operates as an independent consultant on the intersection of Faith, Health, and Human Rights under UBtheCURE, LLC where he is the Owner.
Although his primary training is in public health and clinical research, Ulysses has dedicated much of his time to a vocation of social justice advocacy through the church and community. His primary work with faith groups has been in the area of HIV and AIDS awareness, advocacy and capacity building, but also includes mass incarceration, LGBTQIA, gender and racial justice, food security, and peace in the Middle East. He has been a guest at both the White House and United Nations for consultations on the intersections of faith and HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health rights, and global drug reform.
He currently serves as a member of the United States Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) under the Obama Administration. Ulysses has also been recognized by the National Minority Quality Forum as top 40 under 40 in minority health for his work in faith and HIV in communities of color. Ulysses previously served on the executive committee of World Council of Churches (WCC), holding positions on the WCC Gender Advisory Group and Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance’s (EAA) Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment Working Group.He is also a monthly contributor to the online magazine, “The Salt Collective” and has published writings in both medical science and advocacy. When Ulysses is not working or traveling, he serves as a life on life mentor for fatherless teens in Chicago with GRIP Outreach for Youth Program, where he is a member of their Board of Directors.
