I’m thrilled to welcome you to Weill Cornell Medicine’s fourth annual Diversity Week!
This year’s celebration brings together an exciting group of physicians, scientists, educators, policymakers, advocates, and community members who are all committed to greater equity, diversity, and inclusion within academic medicine and healthcare. We hope you take advantage of the hybrid format and are able to participate in some of the many activities taking place throughout the week. Many thanks go to all who helped organize this year’s outstanding events!
We especially encourage you to attend our two keynote addresses:
Diversity Week reflects our shared commitment to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for our diverse community of patients, students, faculty, and staff. At all levels of our organization, we strive to make Weill Cornell Medicine a place where all individuals can thrive and feel like they belong – every day of the year.
I am proud of the progress we are making and look forward to continuing to work with all of you to achieve meaningful change together. Thank you for everything you do to help us make Weill Cornell Medicine a better place to care, discover and teach.
Sincerely,
Augustine M.K. Choi, MD
Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean
Weill Cornell Medicine
Provost for Medical Affairs
Cornell University
On behalf of the Weill Cornell Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion, we are pleased to welcome you to the fourth Annual Diversity Week. As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion and our vision to create a community where everyone can belong and thrive, this year's diversity week offers a range of events open to everyone across WCM. We have organized a full program of virtual, in person and hybrid events, giving our community the opportunity to connect with colleagues from different backgrounds and share their experiences. From two keynote lectures, Diversity Grand Round talks from experts in their fields, to conversations and action on topical issues, our thought-provoking sessions are organized in response to the suggestions we received from our WCM community.
As a prelude to the Diversity Week events, we are excited to share the New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett will be presenting on Reflections on Racial/Ethnic Disparities and COVID-19.
In addition, winners of the Ritu Banga Healthcare Disparities Research Awards, Pioneers in Diversity Awards, and the Jessica M. and Natan Bibliowicz Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty and members of our community that have been recognized nationally will be honored during an evening celebration of diversity.
Once again it is important to note that the Dean’s Diversity Week is made possible by the unwavering support of our academic leaders starting with the Cornell University Office of the President, the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows, the Dean’s Office, and the numerous departmental/divisional heads across our institution for whom this week represents an opportunity to affirm their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
We invite all to attend our events and engage in discussions that bring new perspectives, and celebrate the contributions made by people of all identities and experiences.
With warm regards,
Executive Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
Mary Bassett, MD, MPH
NY State Health Commissioner
Jaqueline Jones, MD
Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries,
Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
Registration: https://bit.ly/blmim22rsvp
9:00am Welcome Remarks Kevin Holcomb MD, Maurice Hinson MD, Paul Walker MS4, Dean Augustine Choi
10:00am Keynote Address by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
10:45am Questions for Keynote
11:00am Break
11:45am Panel – Personal Reflections on Perseverance
1:00pm Celebration of Science and leadership in Medicine (SLiM) students
1:20pm Closing Remarks
1:30pm End of program
Tracy Downs, MD, FACS
Chief Diversity and Community Engagement Officer, UVA Health System
Senior Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, University of Virginia, School of Medicine
Professor of Urology, University of Virginia, Department of Urology
Ryland McClendon
Executive Director, Head of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Corporate & Investment Banking J.P. Morgan
Mitchell R. Lunn, MD, MAS, FACP, FASN
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health at the Stanford University Medical Center
Juno Obedin-Maliver, MD, MPH, MAS, FACOG
Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine
Jennifer Tseng, MD, MPH
Chair, Department of Surgery,
James Utley Professor, Boston University School of Medicine
Surgeon-in-Chief, Boston Medical Center
Danielle Wilfong, MS
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
James R. Gavin III, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer, Healing Our Village, Inc.
Henry W. Lim, MD, FAAD
Former Chair
Department of Dermatology
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Henry Ford Health System
Ray Bignall II, MD, FAAP, FASN
Assistant Chief Diversity and Health Equity Officer
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Director, Kidney Health Advocacy and Community Engagement
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Keith LaScalea, MD
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Weill Cornell Medicine
Maria K. Papadakis, EdD
Program Manager Princeton University
Kim Tran, PhD
Equity strategist
Juan Miguel Mosquera, M.D., M.Sc.
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Program Director, Genitourinary Pathology Fellowship
Director of Research Pathology at the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine
Cornelius Taabazuing, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
University of Pennsylvania
Mitchell R. Lunn, MD, MAS, FACP, FASN
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Nephrology)
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health,
By courtesy Co-Director, The PRIDE Study Stanford University School of Medicine
Space is limited to the first 100 RSVPs, registration required. Please RSVP to: Facultydevelopment@med.cornell.edu. Indicate if you are a Faculty or Staff member
Patricia Turner, MD, MBA, FACS
Executive Director
American College of Surgeons
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Chicago Medicine
Bisola Ojikutu, MD, MPH, FIDSA
Commissioner of Public Health, City of Boston
Executive Director, Boston Public Health Commission
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Tami Benton, MD
Attending Psychiatrist, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Director of Education, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Chair - Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Site Director, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Lifespan Brain Institute, Site Director, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute
Maria Fernandez - Law '92 (Moderator)
Global Legal and Compliance Executive
Dr. Susan Klugman - CALS ’84
Director of the Division of Reproductive Genetics, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Jennifer Leeds - CALS ‘91
Executive Director at Novartis Head, Search and Evaluation, West Coast and Canada
Jessica Baker Fletchner - CALS ’93, PhD CALS 2000
Chief Scientific Officer, Genocea Biosciences
Dr. Geetanjali Akerkar - ALS ’88, WCM ’93,
DHS/Gastrohealth Partner, President Lowell Anesthesia Board - Northeast Endoscopy
Elizabeth Forminard - A&S ‘92
Worldwide VP, General Counsel Pharmaceuticals Johnson & Johnson
Michelle Morse, M.D., M.P.H.
Chief Medical Officer
Deputy Commissioner
Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness (CHECW)
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Toni Howard Lowe
GVP of Diversity Equity & Inclusion at Huge
Dean Carol Bradford, MD, MS, FACS
Dean, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Vice President for Health Sciences, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Keith Wailoo, PhD
Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Book Club discussion scheduled for April 28th at 1:00PM
Amy Houtrow, MD, PhD, MPH
Professor, Pediatric Rehab Medicine Division Chief
Vice Chair in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
Vice Chair for Quality and Outcomes.
Chief of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Services
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Melissa Frey MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Giny Fouda, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Weill Cornell Medicine
Mallika Alexander, MBBS
Project Manager, Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College
Judi Miller
Program Officer, Maternal Health Department of NIAD/DAIDS
Tania Lombo, PhD
Health Program Officer, Maternal Health Department of NIAD/DAIDS, NIH
Nahida Chakhtoura, MD
Program Officer, NICHD, NIH
Moupali Das, MD
HIV Prevention Clinical Development Lead, Executive Director, Gilead Sciences
Dorothea Obiri, MPhil, PhD
Research Fellow, Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana
Julia Bunting
President, Population Council
Jesus Valenzuela, PhD
Chief, Vector Molecular Biology Section
NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Daniel Castro, PhD
Washington University
Fasika Woreta, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Residency Program Director
Director, Eye Trauma Center
Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Paola Tartakoff, PhD
Chair, Department of Jewish Studies
Professor, Department of Jewish Studies and Department of History
David Acosta, MD
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
JoAnn Yoo
Executive Director of the Asian American Federation
Efrén J. Flores, MD
Associate Chair, Equity & Community Health, MGB Enterprise Radiology
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Radiologist, Thoracic Division, Massachusetts General Hospital
Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence, National Academy of Medicine
Faculty, The Mongan Institute
Renee Alexander, PhD
Former Associate Dean of Students and Director, Campus Climate Initiatives, Cornell University Ithaca. Founder, “Breaking Bread” community
Gerard Aching
Professor of Africana and Romance Studies
Co-Principal Investigator, Rural Humanities Initiative, Cornell University
Sushmita Mukherjee, PhD, MS
Associate Professor of Research in Biochemistry
Co-Director, Microscopy and Image Analysis Core Facility
Diversity Champion, Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine
Ms. Lymari Casta, Esq
The Casta Law Office
James R. Gavin III, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine Chief Medical Officer, Healing Our Village, Inc.
James R. Gavin III, MD, PhD is clinical professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer of Healing Our Village, Inc. He served as President and CEO of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, was a senior scientific officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Before joining HHMI, he was chief of the Diabetes Section, and William K. Warren Professor for Diabetes Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He is a past president of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and belongs to many organizations, including the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and the American Association of Physicians. He is a Trustee Emeritus for Emory University, serves on the Trustee board at Livingstone College, and is Chair Emeritus of the Board for the Partnership for a Healthier America. He serves on the board of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES). He is past national program director of the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the RWJF (1993-2013). He was named a “Living Legend in Diabetes” by AADE in 2009, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Diabetes Research from ADA in 2015, a lifetime Meritorious Achievement Award from the National Medical Association, and is the 2021 recipient of the Laureate Mentor of the Year Award from the Endocrine Society. He has published more than 250 articles and abstracts and three books. He received a BS in Chemistry from Livingstone College, a PhD in Biochemistry from Emory University, and his MD from Duke University
Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS
Dean, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Vice President for Health Sciences, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Leslie H. and Abigail S. Wexner Dean’s Chair in Medicine
Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
An internationally recognized head and neck cancer surgeon scientist and leader in academic medicine, Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, is the dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, vice president for Health Sciences of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Leslie H. and Abigail S. Wexner Dean’s Chair in Medicine and a professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Bradford specializes in head and neck cancer surgery, focusing her research on identifying and evaluating biomarkers that can predict outcomes. She also pioneered the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy as a safe and reliable tool to stage patients with melanoma of the head and neck. She has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and authored more than 20 book chapters.
Her many awards include a Clinical Excellence Award from Castle Connolly National Physician of the Year Awards in 2009 and the Women in Otolaryngology Helen F. Krause Memorial Trailblazer Award in 2019. In 2012, she was inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. She was elected as the first woman president of the American Head and Neck Society in 2012, and received a Presidential Citation from this society in 2021. She was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2021.
In 2020, she became the president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for a one-year term. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Head and Neck Society, Triological Society and American Laryngological Association.
The 2022 recipients of awards honoring exceptional contributions to diversity at Weill Cornell Medicine will be recognized at the:
Diversity Awards Ceremony and Reception
Monday, April 25
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM l Zoom
This year’s recipients will be formally announced will be formally announced at the Celebration of Diversity ceremony.
The Jessica M. and Natan Bibliowicz Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty recognizes outstanding men and women faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine who demonstrate commitment to advancing the academic careers of women in the areas of clinical care, research, or education. The individual must have a track record of providing strong mentorship, as well as fostering a nurturing and supportive environment for all faculty.
The Bruce Laine Ballard, MD Award for Excellence in Mentorship is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates a commitment to improving student life and to fostering a nurturing and supportive environment where students are able to thrive and succeed.
The Louis Wade Sullivan, MD Award for Excellence in Public Health Advocacy honors a resident or postdoctoral fellow who has been an outspoken champion for health promotion and a public health advocate, especially for medically underserved populations.
Marie Metoyer, MD Award recognizes faculty or alumnus of the medical college who has gone above and beyond to serve communities despite difficult conditions.
Marie Metoyer, MD Award recognizes faculty or alumnus of the medical college who has gone above and beyond to serve communities despite difficult conditions.
The Administrative Staff Award recognizes staff members who embody the spirit of cultural diversity and service. This award honors staff members who have gone beyond the call of duty to make sure the environment is inclusive, engaging and welcoming, and whose efforts may often go unnoticed.
The Ida Sophia Scudder, MD Award for Excellence in Public Service recognizes an MD, PhD, MD-PhD, or PA student who has made significant contributions in the field of community service and providing care to the underserved.
Follow @WeillCornell, use #WCMDiversityWeek
and tweet about what sessions you will be attending, who you are excited to see and what you learn.
Elizabeth Omondi
elo2010@med.cornell.edu
https://diversity.weill.cornell.edu
