Dr. Andrea Card, assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has always embraced diversity, equity and inclusion, starting in the 1990s when she was a medical student—long before it became a priority across the country. This year, Dr. Card received the Bruce Laine Ballard Award at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Celebration of Diversity, part of the institution’s sixth annual Diversity Week, held April 15 in Griffis Faculty Club.
She has used her skills as an internist, public health expert and mentor to reach communities, as she puts it, “regardless of what they look like,” and is faculty lead for Weill Cornell Medicine’s Pre-Medical Diversity Initiatives. Dr. Card and all the awardees reflect Weill Cornell Medicine’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity in academic medicine and were honored for their exemplary contributions through mentorship, research, clinical care, community service and advocacy.
“Community service is one of the most important foundational missions of academic medicine not just in education and research but in health care locally and globally,” said Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine in opening remarks. “Weill Cornell Medicine is fostering a culture and environment of belonging where everyone feels their talents, expertise and diverse experiences are needed to solve the hard problems affecting our community—cancer, heart disease, infectious disease, mental illness.”