Three individuals and one student organization were honored with the 2021 President’s Diversity Champion Award during a virtual ceremony on Feb. 18.
The annual award, sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, recognizes employees, students and organizations that have helped create a more culturally diverse, inclusive university community through their achievements. Nominations are solicited from the UAB community for all categories, and awards are given in several categories for projects or activities that best reflect the implementation of unit and/or campus diversity goals.
View the virtual President's Diversity Champion Award ceremony here.
Congratulations to the 2021 recipients:
Tina Simpson, MD, MPH
Tina Simpson, MD, MPH
Professor and Vice-Chair of Faculty Development, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Dr. Simpson is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Faculty Development in the Department of Pediatrics and is actively involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion activities at UAB and at the national level. Dr. Simpson serves as the departmental Diversity Liaison for the Office for Diversity and Inclusion in the School of Medicine. She has helped lead several diversity education initiatives within the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Simpson led the 2017 Maternal and Child Health Bureau-funded Diversity and Health Equity Peer Learning Collaborative, which was comprised of eight teams from training programs across the country and designed to help MCH training programs more effectively address diversity and health equity. Dr. Simpson is a member of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Diversity Committee and in 2020 co-authored a position statement regarding immigrant youth in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers and a manuscript calling for the use of anti-racism approaches to address health inequities.
Because of her involvement with the Birmingham Mayor’s Office Division of Youth Services, Dr. Simpson has been recognized by the city as a “Hidden Hero.” She was honored by BHAM Black Pride with the Dr. Tina Simpson Invisible Warrior Award.
View the 2021 Faculty Award recipient video here.
Jordan Perchik, MD
Jordan Perchik, MD
Department of Radiology, School of Medicine
Dr. Jordan Perchik began his Diagnostic Radiology residency in the UAB Department of Radiology on July 1, 2018. He developed an early interest in medical student education and mentorship and joined the Near-Peer student-resident mentorship program, the Radiology Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and the international Radiology outreach organization RadAID; he now serves as a resident leader in these organizations. He has mentored medical students and fellow residents of diverse backgrounds and experiences and has connected them with mentors, facilitated their pursuit of meaningful research, and worked to address health disparities in Radiology. Dr. Perchik's efforts have improved inclusion and representation of women and under-represented minorities in the UAB Radiology Residency and have contributed to overall advances in resident wellness.
Dr. Perchik has also worked to improve transgender health literacy in Radiology at a local and national level. He, along with a supportive team in the UAB Radiology Department, has recently published a systematic review of transgender related research in the Radiology literature, developed sessions in transgender health literacy for the resident education curriculum, and advocates for equitable delivery of healthcare for transgender and gender diverse individuals.
View the 2021 Staff Award recipient video here.
Nia TaylorNia Taylor
School of Dentistry
Nia is currently a third-year dental student at UAB and is enrolled in a dual degree program to pursue both her DMD and MBA degrees with an expected graduation date of May 2022. With a bachelors’ degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Nia first came to UAB and graduated with a Masters’ in Biomedical and Health Sciences in 2018. Since then, she has been actively engaged in student activities at UAB School of Dentistry (SOD). Her current involvement includes serving as the Treasurer of the Student Research Group, Program Director of the Dental Business Club, a UAB SOD Ambassador for the 2020-21 Admissions cycle, and serving as the current president of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA). She has also participated as a dental student mentor to undergraduate students for the past three summers at UAB’s Summer Health Professions Education Program.
View the 2021 Graduate/Professional Student Award recipient video here.
MSHA DEI Student Council
MSHA DEI Student Council
School of Health Professions
The MSHA DEI Student Council is a permanent committee of the MSHA Student Organization, established during the summer of 2020. The summer of 2020 presented varying emotional predicaments: students were not only navigating the COVID-19 pandemic but were digesting an influx of media showing social injustices across the country. Naturally, students craved a space to speak candidly, share lived experiences, and ask questions that may have been considered taboo. As a result, the MSHA DEI Student Council was born. The purpose of the MSHA DEI Student Council is to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental pillars of the MSHA program, while also bringing heightened social awareness to the faculty, staff, and students of the program. Using a collaborative platform as a foundation, the Council is critical in helping faculty and staff integrate DEI into all aspects of the MSHA program, including the curriculum, admission process, Lunch and Learns, and guest lecturers. The presence of the Council ensures the perpetuity of a platform that calls attention to the diverse perspectives of current students and alumni. The Council will continue to create, support, and sustain initiatives that help achieve the MSHA program’s DEI-related goals.
View the 2021 Student Organization Award recipient video here.