NHHF 16th Annual Gala was Very Elevating and Energizing
The recent 16th Annual National Hispanic Health Foundation’ s California Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship Gala, held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, was the latest in a tradition of honoring distinguished citizens for their contributions to advancing diversity in the health profession, as well as offering financial support to the aspiring students. Akira Feliza and MartinVasquez, two members of the CDU 4-Year MD program, were awarded scholarships at the event.
A broad coalition of national Hispanic medical associations, in addition to the NHHF Board of Directors, lent their congratulations to the distinguished honorees and the talented medical students. They included the Hispanic Dental Association, the Latino Caucus for Public Health, the National Hispanic Pharmacists Association, Physician Associates for Latino Health, and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.
As acknowledged by Dr. Elena Rios, NHHF President, Hispanics constitute the largest ethnic group in the United States. By 20035, Hispanic people will constitute one quarter of the total American population. Even so, Hispaanics make up a disproportionate number of professionals with the requisite cultural and linguistic skills to deliver quality care for the growing population. She also noted that federal, state, local government and private sector institutions lack significant Hispanic representation in top leadership positions with the ability to affect policy and programs targeted to the various
Spanish-speaking communities.
The scholarship recipients that night totaled 40, the most in NHHF’ s history. Though medical students were the largest grouping of recipients, the fields of Dentistry, Public Health, Pharmacy, Physician Associate, and Nursing were also represented. Students attending schools and colleges in geographically disparate parts of the country including Missouri, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and all parts of California, were honorees in attendance.
Laura“ Chef LaLa” Diaz served as Mistress of Ceremonies and provided comments that the audience roundly enjoyed. The list of professional honorees was quite distinguished. Mariachi Angeles keynoted the event with its robust offerings of traditional Mexican music that was well-received by one and all.
The Gala also attracted a very impressive group in excess of 40 sponsors. The National Hispanic Medical Association and the Centene Corporation were Platinum sponsors. Silver sponsors included Davita, United Healthcare, AMA, Cedars Sinai, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Community College District, The Gloria J. González Memorial Scholarship Fund, AARP, Janssen, and UCLA Health.
Jeffrey Reynoso, Regional Director, Region 9 of the US Department of Health and Human Services spoke with pride of the accomplishments of the NHHF. The Hon.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 19