MMS Honors 'Underrepresented Physicians of Tomorrow'

BY BISSAN BIARY, MMS PRACTICE SOLUTIONS OUTREACH MANAGER, AND SANDRA JACOBS, VITAL SIGNS EDITOR

This spring, the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Minority Affairs Section (MAS) honored medical students and trainees during a celebration of the 2023 Underrepresented Physicians of Tomorrow Award. Now in its second year, the number of applicants increased from 24 to 33 — each reflecting the extraordinary personal achievements and contributions of these students and trainees, MAS leaders note.

Through this award, the Section, now chaired by Vincent Smith, MD, MPH, recognizes the exemplary advocacy, scholarship, community engagement, and leadership of medical students, residents, and fellows. The award was created to celebrate and recognize underrepresented physicians and trainees.

The 2023 awardee, three honorable mentions, and other exceptional applicants were introduced during an online networking event attended by students, physicians of many career stages, and members of the MMS leadership team.

The 2023 award recipient, Ciersten A. Burks, MD, completed her PGY-5 chief residency at Harvard Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Massachusetts Eye and Ear in June. At the online MAS event, she shared highlights of her research on disparities for Black and Hispanic patients in access to high-quality head and neck cancer care. Dr. Burks has been involved in multiple initiatives to address disparities in health care and to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the surgical workforce, including mentoring underrepresented medical students pursuing otolaryngology.

She also organized the “Eye, Ear, and Eat Free Health Clinic” in Boston, which provided head and neck cancer screenings, hearing screenings, and other medical services to an underserved population. As a medical student, she managed the Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic. Dr. Burks is now a fellow in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Minnesota.

Honorable mention recipients include the following:

• Deniz Goodman, Class of 2025 Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has been vice chair of the MMS Committee on LGBTQ Matters and a member of the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He has been president of BUSM’s Latino Medical Student Association chapter and co-chair of the BUSM Bioethics Society, and he co-founded Boston Medical Center’s Student Sight Savers initiative to conduct screenings for glaucoma at Boston-area homeless shelters.
• Julia Small, Class of 2024 University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, through her work within the MMS and the American Medical Association, has advocated for policies to increase equity in the resident-selection process, address gun violence, and expand abortion care access. She has also advocated for policies that directly affect medical students and trainees. Her writing has addressed disparities in health care for people who are adopted and how physicians can navigate conversations with these patients.
• Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako, MD, a resident physician in Internal Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has conducted research focused on health equity and co-authored over 40 manuscripts across areas that include workforce diversity, medical education, environmental health, and quality of care for marginalized patients, especially people who use drugs. In his residency program, he serves on a committee to ensure that the curriculum reflects a commitment to health equity throughout. He has also led workshops for residents and students on writing Op-Eds as a tool for physicians to explain their research and to engage the public and policymakers on topics of public significance.

Congratulating the honorees and many other accomplished students and physicians at the online event, Theodore A. Calianos II, MD, then-president of the MMS, said, “I hope that tomorrow you’ll no longer be ‘underrepresented in medicine,’ but equally represented to be leaders and to deliver the best care to all patients.”

Speaking on behalf of himself and then-incoming MMS President Dr. Barbara S. Spivak, Dr. Calianos invited all physicians to reach out anytime with ideas for initiatives or projects relating to diversity and inclusivity in the profession and in the MMS.

About the Minority Affairs Section

The Massachusetts Medical Society’s Minority Affairs Section offers a forum for addressing the unique needs and concerns of underrepresented minority physicians and the delivery of health care to minority patients and communities. The Section’s priorities include the development of policies and initiatives that provide career advancement and leadership opportunities for minority physicians and increase participation and mentorship of underrepresented minority physicians and students in the MMS.

Learn more about MAS, how to join, and the upcoming 2024 award application process by contacting staff liaison Bissan Biary at bbiary@mms.org.