Surgery Celebrates 2021 SoM Diversity Awards

Stanford Surgery celebrated the 2021 School of Medicine Diversity Awards Thursday evening. Multiple department faculty and trainees are involved in the program including many members of the JEDI Council and the Division of Abdominal Transplantation's Dr. Olivia Martinez, who is part of the Minority Faculty Networking Steering Committee.

After a keynote address by Dr. Augustus White, the first black graduate of Stanford's School of Medicine, Dr. Sheri Krams, a professor in the Division of Abdominal Transplantation, presented the Graduate Education Faculty Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion to Michelle Odden, PhD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health.

Later, General Surgery Chief Resident Miquell Miller presented the inaugural award named in her honor. The Dr. Miquell Miller Award for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion recognizes an outstanding resident who embodies the passion and commitment to expanding diversity and inclusion efforts as demonstrated by Miller.

The 2021 award was presented to Internal Medicine Resident Dr. Christine Santiago. Santiago was instrumental in creating the Stanford Internal Medicine Health Equity, Advocacy, and Research Program.

Funds to create the annual award were gifted by Department Chair Dr. Mary Hawn.

Finally, the inaugural Dr. Fernando Mendoza Health Equity Research and Opportunity (HERO) Award was presented to Medical Student Eric Jenkins for his work with the Health Career Collaborative East Palo Alto, a pipeline program for URM high school students sponsored by the Department of Surgery.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me," said Jenkins, an MS4 of 5 currently finishing his Masters in Education through the SoM Discovery Curriculum. "This is only the beginning."