Marisa Marques, M.D., Professor and Interim Division Director, Laboratory Medicine has been named one of the two recipients for the 2021 Inaugural UAB School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion Professional Excellence Award.  The second recipient for this award is Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatrics. 

Dr. Marques, co-chair of Hispanic/Latinx Faculty Association, has been at UAB since 1994 when she joined the Department of Pathology residency program in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and completed a fellowship in Hematopathology here. She was appointed to faculty in 1998 and since that time has moved through the ranks until her last appointment to Professor in October 2008. Dr. Marques’ leadership roles in the Department of Pathology include Associate Director of Laboratory Medicine Division, Section Head of Transfusion Medicine, Director of the Transfusion Medicine/Blood Bank Fellowship, Chair of the Blood Utilization and Management Committee, Medical Director of UAB Highlands Blood Bank, and Medical Director of Transfusion Services and the Apheresis Collection Facility at University of Alabama Hospital.

Dr. Marques' Service, Teaching, and Research Activities

• Dr. Marques is well known for her efforts in promoting the retention and advancement of tenure-track minorities by writing letters of support for promotion and tenure and devoting large portions of time for career advice.
• As President of the UAB Chapter of AMWA for the last 1.5 years, she has organized many meetings for women in medicine to improve networking and increase the awareness of barriers to their advancement in academic medicine as well as how to overcome them.
• Dr. Marques contributed to the creation of the Diversity Task Force for her Department. This task force tackles important inclusion topics such as race/language, sexual orientation, religion, and academic degrees.

The award recipients were announced last Friday, February 5 at the UAB School of Medicine Diversity Fair for prospective medical students. The SOM Office for Diversity and Inclusion established the Professional Excellence Award to celebrate and honor URiM faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in their careers, as well as emulated the Minorities in Medicine & Science principles. Winners of the award must have significant accomplishments within the past 1-3 years is at least one of the following areas: research, teaching, or service. Priority is given to individuals who help UAB School of Medicine create an environment where minorities in medicine choose to be.