UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 28

quick takes

Mona Fouad Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Mona N. Fouad, M. D., M. P. H., professor and director of the Division of Preventive Medicine in the UAB School of Medicine, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine— one of the highest honors given to a physician or scientist in the United States.
Dr. Fouad is nationally recognized as a leader in health disparities research and collaboration. Her work generates and combines research from biomedical, behavioral and social sciences in an interdisciplinary approach to address health disparities. Her impact among the national community of scholars— especially young scholars from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds— has spread beyond her institution to touch others in alleviating these disparities among vulnerable populations.
The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 under the name Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine— the natural, social and behavioral sciences— and beyond. Membership
Mona N. Fouad, M. D., M. P. H. in NAM is widely viewed as one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, and is limited to individuals who have demonstrated both exceptional professional achievements and outstanding commitment to service.
“ In her career, Dr. Fouad has a huge impact in her interdisciplinary approach toward the elimination of health disparities,” says Selwyn M. Vickers, M. D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the UAB School of Medicine.“ As both the dean and a frequent collaborator with Dr. Fouad’ s research efforts, I’ m pleased that Mona’ s career is being honored in a way that truly highlights her accomplishments.”
Dr. Fouad’ s career at UAB began in 1991 as an instructor in the Department of Medicine. In 2002, she became the founding director of the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, a university-wide interdisciplinary research center. In 2009, she became director of the Division of Preventive Medicine and in 2013 was named senior associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the School of Medicine. From 2003 to 2013, she served as co-leader of the Cancer Control and Population Science Program in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, and she is currently senior adviser to the Cancer Center director. She is also a member of the Diabetes Research and Training Center, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education, and the Comprehensive Center for Health Aging.
Fouad has worked tirelessly to establish the validity of health disparities as a national scientific research priority. There has been an unprecedented expansion of health disparities research at UAB and in collaborative relationships with national and international grant partners, as well as an increase in the number of researchers and young scholars pursuing careers in minority health and health disparities.
Her achievements have been recognized nationally as a recipient of the American Cancer Society St. George National Award in 2016, recognizing her distinguished service to achieving the ACS’ strategic goals and the 2016 President’ s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Community Leadership Award for exemplary service and dedication to improving the lives of others by promoting and fostering opportunities for participation in fitness, sports and nutrition programs. Dr. Fouad was also named one of the 2016“ Women Who Shape the State” by the Alabama Media Group.
“ I’ m tremendously proud of Dr. Fouad and grateful to count her as a colleague and leader at UAB,” says C. Seth Landefeld, M. D., chair of the UAB Department of Medicine.“ In her work, in her writing and in her leadership, Dr. Fouad has opened eyes to disparities in health and health care, and she has pioneered efforts to reduce these disparities— contributions that change our world.”
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