Dean's Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion List of Recipients

2023

Erin Stephany Sanchez, M.D.

Erin Stephany Sanchez is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and an associate program director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Due to her recruitment efforts, more than 80 percent of her students are from communities under-represented in medicine, and the majority now practice in low-resource communities.

2022

Javier López , M.D.

Nomination Highlights:

....a strong and dedicated advocate for marginalized populations within the community
López has been providing pro bono publico clinical care for our underserved population of African Americans and Spanish-speaking Latinos at the Imani clinic in Oak Park, Sacramento since 2017.
He has developed a monthly cardiology specialty clinic at Imani which has been offering cardiovascular consultations successfully for the past 6 years. At the UC Davis student-run free clinics, in addition to clinical care, he provides education for students on cardiovascular disease prevention, cultural humility, equity and inclusion in this community-based setting.
…started a hypertension management program better known as PreventionForward
During the COVID pandemic, he shifted his education and kept Wellness Program participants up-to-date and motivated to maintain safe practices.
“López exemplifies what it means to have an unwavering commitment to underserved communities. Uninsured and socioeconomically underprivileged individuals make up the population that Imani Clinic primarily serves. Understanding the disparities and barriers that our population faces requires humility, and this is a quality that López continuously demonstrates in and out of the clinic.

2021

Verónica Martínez Cerdeño, Ph.D.

Nomination Highlights:

A long history of leadership in community outreach to K-12 students as well as to the general public.
Many of her volunteers are women and underrepresented minorities in STEM and therefore they serve as role model for students from similar backgrounds.
Created the LUNAS Project (Latinos Unidos en el Autismo y sus servicios).
Contributions are particularly impressive in light of our outstanding research record with consistent NIH funding and her exemplary output of published work.