The COVID-19 Community Education and Empowerment Internship, led by Dr. Susana Morales, Director, Diversity Center of Excellence, WCM, and Vice Chair for Diversity, WDOM, has received a gift of $200,000 from the Weil, Gotshal & Manges Foundation.
Dr. Morales’s work in leading the Internship, which is held virtually, was highlighted in Milestones (December edition). More than 1,000 students, including high school and college, from New York City, across the United States, and abroad have completed the internship. Trainees become “vaccine ambassadors” who provide valuable information to help dispel common myths about the vaccines and, more broadly, to develop trust within the community. The program is part of an effort by diversity and health equity leaders at Weill Cornell Medicine to increase vaccination rates in the Black and Hispanic communities.
“This gift from the Weil, Gotshal & Manges Foundation will enable our institution to continue spreading the word about the COVID-19 vaccine in our underserved communities and achieve our goal of providing equitable access to top-quality health care for all the populations that we serve,’’ says Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine.