UMSOM’s 16th Annual “Celebrating Diversity” Dinner Supports Student Scholarships

The University of Maryland School of Medicine held its 16^th annual “Celebrating Diversity” Dinner event on February 25, 2023, at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. The annual event honors the School’s diversity efforts by recognizing those who have helped increase diversity in the field of medicine, while raising support for an endowed scholarship in the name of Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson, MD, MACP, AGAF.

 “It is wonderful to have such a large group of friends, alumni, special guests, students, and staff join us in-person, to celebrate the work that the School of Medicine community is doing to promote a more diverse University of Maryland,” said UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. 

Serving as the honorary chair and Master of Ceremonies for the event, Esa M. Davis, MD, MPH, FAACP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Director, UPMC Tobacco Treatment Service; Director, Career Education and Enhancement for Health Care Research Diversity (CEED) Program; Director, TRANSFORM Program; and Co-Director, Clinical and Translational Science KL2 Scholars Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, delivered an impactful message about the importance of supporting diversity in Medicine and Science.

“Our patients, students and communities need to see more representation and inclusion among the leadership within our academic and major health institutions to ensure the diversity of thought, perspectives, and experiences are being considered to improve clinical care and generate the best science,” said Dr. Davis.

Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed Scholarship recipient Kaéla Kuitchoua, Class of 2024, was a featured speaker at this year’s dinner. Ms. Kuitchoua is pursuing interests in neuroscience, behavioral biology, and genetics. She graduated from Emory University in 2018, where she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. Prior to medical school, Ms. Kuitchoua spent two years working for the NIMH’s Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch through the NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Program.

She currently is part of the Combined Accelerated Program in Psychiatry (CAPP) elective track, a member of UMSOM’s Second Look Day Committee, and was elected to serve as a co-vice president of UMSOM’s Student National Medical Association chapter for the 2021-2022 academic year. Ms. Kuitchoua enjoys supporting underrepresented minority students and is looking forward to serving underserved communities as a medical student and throughout her medical career.  

Another honoree of the evening was Tonya J. Webb, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Assistant Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, who received the Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion. The award recognizes a School of Medicine faculty member whose work advancing diversity and inclusion has been extraordinary. Dr. Webb contributes significant time to local and national service to increase diversity and equity in academic medicine and healthcare.

The Dean’s Alumni Award for Diversity and Inclusion was the third award presented at the dinner and was given to Sharon M. Henry, MD, the Anne Scalea Professor of Trauma Surgery. Dr. Henry, a 1985 graduate of the School of Medicine, is currently an attending trauma surgeon/intensivist and director of the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center’s Division of Wound Healing and Metabolism. She has played an important role in minimizing health disparities throughout the world.

To contribute to the Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed Scholarship Fund, click here for more information. 

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding.  As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies.  In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent (#27) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools.  The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu