Dreamers in Medicine: A Special Presentation of the 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare Winners

Residents, program directors, coordinators, and designated institutional officials are invited to hear and discuss provocative and inspiring stories of diversity, equity, inclusion, activism, and social justice from winners of the prestigious Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare. This special presentation takes place virtually on Friday, November 4 at 3:15 p.m. Central, hosted by Pedro Greer, MD, founding dean for the Roseman University Health Sciences College of Medicine in Las Vegas, Nevada and MacArthur Fellow. Dr. Greer will interview the 2021 Vilcek awardees, residents Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn, MD, MPH and Denisse Rojas Marquez, MD, MPP.

The 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare was jointly awarded to Drs. Latthivongskorn and  Rojas Marquez for their leadership in advocating for diverse and inclusive health care with a supportive path to making the profession accessible to immigrants. Previous winners of the award include 19th Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who drew nationwide attention to the widespread lead poisoning of children in Flint, Michigan through the public water supply.

Drs. Latthivongskorn and Rojas Marquez, along with Angel Ku, PhD, established Pre-Health Dreamers, a collective organization that provides information and resources to young immigrants who want to pursue higher education and careers in health care. Both winners are frequent speakers and commenters on immigration policy in the United States. Dr. Rojas Marquez provided testimony at a 2017 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Dr. Latthivongskorn was a plaintiff in the case that brought DACA before the US Supreme Court.

The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation, to honor the contributions of immigrants to the United States and to foster appreciation of the arts and sciences, was inspired by the couple’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history, as well as their appreciation for the opportunities they received as newcomers to the US.

The Gold Foundation champions humanism in healthcare, defined as compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent care. This Gold standard of care embraces all and targets barriers to such care. The Gold Foundation empowers experts, learners, and leaders to together create systems and cultures that support humanistic care for all.

This online presentation includes an engaging interview with the winners and a live Q and A session. The event is hosted by the ACGME and is free to attend.

For more information and to register, please visit the registration page.