15th Annual Celebrating Diversity 2022

WELCOME
MARY POOTON
Associate Dean for Development
University of Maryland School of Medicine
MELISSA A. SIMON, MD, MPH
George H. Gardner Professor
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Founder/Director, Center for Health Equity Transformation and
the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Honorary Chair
CYNTHIA EGAN
Chair, Board of Visitors
University of Maryland School of Medicine
E. ALBERT REECE, MD, PHD, MBA
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and
Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
KRISTEN REAVIS, MD, MBS
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion
Residency Program Director
Director of Maternal Child Health
Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
REMARKS
MELISSA A. SIMON, MD, MPH

PRESENTATION OF THE DEAN’S FACULTY AWARD
FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
SANDRA M. QUEZADA, MD, MS ‘06
Associate Dean for Admissions
Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
PRESENTATION OF THE DEAN’S ALUMNI AWARD
FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
LARRY PITROF
Executive Director, Medical Alumni Association
University of Maryland School of Medicine
INTRODUCTION OF DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP
RECIPIENTS
DONALD E. WILSON, MD, MACP, DSC (H)
Dean Emeritus, University of Maryland School of Medicine
STUDENT REMARKS
KAELA KUITCHOUA ‘24
Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed Scholarship Recipient
CLOSING REMARKS
MELISSA A. SIMON, MD, MPH

Honorary Chair
Melissa A. Simon, MD, MPH, is the
George H. Gardner Professor of
Clinical Gynecology and Vice Chair of
Research in the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology at
Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine. She is also the
Founder and Director of the Center
for Health Equity Transformation and
the Chicago Cancer Health Equity
Collaborative.
Additionally, Dr. Simon serves as the
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive
Cancer Center’s Associate Director for
Community Outreach and Engagement. She is also an expert in
implementation science, women’s health across the lifespan, minority
health, community engagement, and health equity.
Throughout her career, Dr. Simon has been recognized with numerous
awards for her substantial contribution to excellence in health equity
scholarship, women’s health, and mentorship, including her recent election
to the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American
Physicians.
Dr. Simon has received the Presidential Award in Excellence in Science,
Mathematics, and Engineering Mentorship and is a Presidential Leadership
Scholar. She is also a former member of the US Preventive Services Task
Force and serves on the NIH Office of Research in Women’s Health
Advisory Committee.

Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion
Diana N. Carvajal, MD, MPH, is a
practicing family physician, NIH-funded
clinician-researcher and Assistant Professor
in the Department of Family and
Community Medicine at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine. She
is Director of Reproductive Health
Education in Family Medicine (RHEDI)
and co-leads the department’s research
division. She completed her residency at
Columbia University Medical Center in
New York, NY, her MPH at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, and her Primary Care Health
Services Research fellowship at the
University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In her research, Dr. Carvajal focuses on addressing reproductive health inequities
for the most marginalized communities and employs lenses of Reproductive
Justice and Intersectionality to understand how clinicians can best support and
communicate with their patients about important reproductive health decisions.
In the department of Family and Community Medicine, she has helped lead and
develop the residency’s social justice curriculum and is a faculty advisor for the
residency’s Health Justice Track.
At the institutional level, Dr. Carvajal serves on the Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion Medical Student Lecture Review Committee, and is a mentor for
students in the UMB chapter of the Student National Medical Association
(SNMA). She also served on the committee that succeeded in eliminating race
from kidney function estimates across the University of Maryland Medical
System. In addition to her academic and clinical roles within UMSOM, she is
also the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Strategic Planning for the
national RHEDI program based at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. In this role, she leads the development
and implementation of programs to diversify the reproductive health workforce in
family medicine, and in addition, leads an on-line, nationally distributed social
and reproductive justice-based curriculum. Dr. Carvajal believes that her academic
work is firmly grounded in her clinical care, teaching, and institutional service.
Each of these realms overlap with the others and all of them fuel her passion for
the work.

Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion
Rodney J. Taylor, MD, MSPH, is
P r o fe s s or an d Ch a irman o f the
Otorhinolaryngology- Head & Neck
Surgery Department at the University of
Maryland of School of Medicine. He
joined the faculty in 2001 and is a
surgeon-scientist whose clinical practice is
dedicated to the comprehensive care of
head and neck cancer (HNC) patients
a n d p e r f or m s c o m p le x s u r g i c a l
procedures in the management of HNC
patients. Prior to arriving at the
University of Maryland, Dr. Taylor
graduated cum laude from Harvard
College in 1991 where he was Senior
Class President, Varsity Football player
a nd wa s ac t i ve i n b ot h s tudent
government and multicultural activities. He attended Harvard Medical School
and received his medical degree in 1995. He then completed his residency in
Otolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery at the University of Michigan. While at
the University of Michigan he also received a master’s degree from the School of
Public Health.
Dr. Taylor’s research expertise includes head and neck cancer disparities in
treatment and outcome for underrepresented and disadvantaged patients. He also
has basic science and translational research interests, which include studying
ZSCAN4 as part of a system that confers and maintains cancer cell immortality in
HNC. He also studies adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) harvested from head
and neck tissues for the development of clinical applications following ablative
surgical and cancer treatments. Dr. Taylor also has extensive experience working
with SCCHN cell lines and has worked in tumor immunology and immunologic
tolerance.
In addition to his clinical and research pursuits, Dr. Taylor is a key leader in the
UMSOM, promoting Diversity and Inclusion and providing Unconscious Bias
training for faculty and staff. He was appointed to lead Cultural Transformation
initiatives at the UMSOM. Dr. Taylor is passionate and active on a local and
national level in providing mentorship to increase underrepresented individuals
in healthcare and research fields.

Dean’s Alumni Award for Diversity and Inclusion
Andrea R. Levine, MD, MS, is an Assistant
Professor of Medicine at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine in the Division
of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine,
Program Director for the Critical Care
Medicine Fellowship, Director of the
University of Maryland Critical Illness
Recovery Clinic, and DEI Champion for the
Department of Medicine. Dr. Levine
completed her medical training and residency
in Internal Medicine at the University of
Maryland. She trained in Pulmonary, Allergy,
and Critical Care Medicine at the University
of Pittsburgh, where she also obtained a
Master’s in Epidemiology. She returned to
join the faculty of the University of Maryland
in 2019.
Clinically, Dr. Levine’s efforts focus on caring for critically ill patients in the Medical
Intensive Care Unit. In addition, she has developed a Critical Illness Recovery Clinic
where she sees patients who are recovering from critical illness. She has served as the
Program Director for the Critical Care Fellowship Program at the University of
Maryland for the last two years.
Dr. Levine is passionate about contributing to and advancing diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI). She serves as a DEI reviewer for the Educational Content Review
Committee (ECRC) and the faculty advisor for the LGBTQ+ Health Interest Group for
the School of Medicine. As a School of Medicine faculty member, Dr. Levine prides
herself in representing the LGBTQ+ community such that patients, students, and
trainees may see themselves reflected in the patient care team and in the faculty and
attending physicians surrounding them. As a Program Director, she deliberately recruits
trainees via a holistic interview process that has resulted in a program rich with
physicians from a diversity of training backgrounds, life experiences, racial and ethnic
backgrounds, and sexual orientations. Her use of this evolving, holistic interview process
underlies her intention to amplify historically underrepresented voices in medical care
and medical training in the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship.
In addition, Dr. Levine has created a DEI curriculum for the Critical Care trainees, and
faculty members focused on cultivating an understanding of DEI terminology, implicit
bias, equitable allocation of resources during crisis, anti-racism, and health disparities in
critical care. Her efforts to ensure equitable access to this education have resulted in the
production of a renowned podcast with an international listenership. In the coming
year, Dr. Levine will take on the role of Champion of DEI for the Department of
Medicine and looks forward to the opportunities to expand the depth and reach of this
essential curriculum.

Dean’s Alumni Award for Diversity and Inclusion
Joseph (Adrian) Tyndall, MD, MPH,
is the Executive Vice President for
Health Affairs and Professor and Dean
of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Prior to joining Morehouse School of
Medicine, Dr. Tyndall served as
Professor and Chair of the Department
of Emergency Medicine at the
University of Florida College of
Medicine for 13 years before being
appointed as interim dean of the
College of Medicine at the University
of Florida in 2018 and subsequently
the Associate Vice President for
Strategic and Academic Affairs for UF Health in Gainesville, Florida.
Dr. Tyndall was the 13th physician and only African American to lead the
college as dean, and served in that position for two and a half years. He also was
the first African American to be chair of an academic department in the UF
College of Medicine’s history.
Dr. Tyndall is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and
the emergency medicine residency program at the University of Maryland
Medical Center. In addition, he received his master’s degree in Health Services
Management and Health Policy from Columbia University in the City of New
York. He served on the Board of Directors of UF Health Shands Hospital at the
University of Florida for a decade and was chair of the Board of Trustees for the
UF Health Proton Therapy Institute during his tenure as interim dean. He is a
past president of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians, is a trustee and
president-elect of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation,
emergency medicine’s national foundation supporting education and research in
emergency care.
Dr. Tyndall is an elected member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and
the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He has published and lectured extensively
nationally and internationally in emergency medicine

Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed
Scholarship Recipient
Kaéla Kuitchoua is a current second-year
student at the University of Maryland School
of Medicine (UMSOM). She graduated from
Emory University in 2018, where she
completed a Bachelor of Science degree in
Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. While at
Emory, she conducted research at the Yerkes
National Primate Research Center studying the
neurodevelopmental effects of early life stress
in a rhesus monkey model.
Prior to medical school, Ms. Kuitchoua spent
two years working for the NIMH’s Clinical and
Translational Neuroscience Branch through
the NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural
Research Training Award Program. She used
neuroimaging and genetics to study patients with schizophrenia to better understand the
hereditary traits of the illness. During her time at the NIH, she also served as a Volunteer
Coordinator for the NIH Academy, a program for NIH post baccalaureates to learn more
about health disparities in addition to volunteering in the Washington, DC community.
When Ms. Kuitchoua joined the UMSOM community in the Fall of 2020, she began
volunteering with Thread, an organization dedicated to providing resources to young
people in Baltimore facing academic and social challenges. She also joined the Combined
Accelerated Program in Psychiatry (CAPP) elective track and is a member of the School of
Medicine’s Second Look Day Committee.
While shadowing with CAPP, she particularly enjoyed joining the Programs of Assertive
Community Treatment (PACT) team, where she had the opportunity to meet adults in the
Baltimore community experiencing unique and complex psychiatric problems, and see the
various services the PACT team was able to provide to their clients.
Ms. Kuitchoua was elected to be a Co-Vice President of UMSOM’s Student National
Medical Association chapter for the 2021-2022 academic year. During her time with
SNMA, she aided in putting on events to support underrepresented minority medical and
premedical students, including the Regional Leadership Institute virtual conference in
October 2021. The goal of the event was to introduce underrepresented premedical and
medical students to various career paths they can take with the medical degree, with
presentations by physicians from UMSOM and the greater Baltimore and DC community.
Ms. Kuitchoua also serves on committees for UMSOM’s chapter of White Coat for Black
Lives (WC4BL). During her time with WC4BL she aided in organizing events and
promoting on their social media pages. Ms. Kuitchoua is reaching the end of her second
year and preparing to take Step I in April. She is looking forward to starting clerkships in
the spring and building her clinical skills as a future physician.

The Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed
Scholarship Fund
The Dean Emeritus Donald E. Wilson Endowed Scholarship Fund was
created by alumni, faculty, and friends of the University of Maryland School
of Medicine to honor the legacy of Dr. Wilson and continue the School’s
enduring commitment to enhancing the diversity of the School’s students and
the medical profession. The Fund facilitates the recruitment of a bright,
diverse student body and helps ensure quality health care for all populations.
It provides financial assistance to students at the School of Medicine.
Dr. Wilson served as Dean of the School of Medicine from 1991 to 2006.
During his tenure, he was nationally recognized by the Association of
American Medical Colleges as a national leader and role model for increasing
racial and ethnic diversity in academic medicine among physician leaders,
faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Wilson was named Dean Emeritus upon his
retirement as Dean.
In 2000, Dr. Wilson was the Inaugural recipient of the Herbert Nickens
award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2008, the
Association of American Medical Colleges awarded the Abraham Flexner
Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education to Dr. Wilson for his
extraordinary individual contributions to medical schools and to the
medical education community.
YOUR Support Makes a Difference
For more information about contributing to the Dean Emeritus Donald E.
Wilson Endowed Scholarship, or opportunities to support diversity
scholarships for medical students, please contact Mary Pooton, Associate
Dean for Development, at 410-706-8503.
www.medschool.umaryland.edu/development

Thank You to Our Donors!
With sincere appreciation
to our donors.
Your support of the Dean Emeritus
Dr. Donald E. Wilson, Endowed
Scholarship, creates opportunities by
eliminating financial barriers and
inspires diverse generations of
physician leaders in serving all
communities through inclusive and
compassionate medical care.
Thank you!

The University of Maryland School of Medicine
would like to thank the generous sponsors of this event.
Presenting Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsor
Event Sponsors
Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health
Department of Anesthesiology
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
Department of Family & Community Medicine
Department of OB, GYN and Reproductive Sciences
Department of Orthopaedics
Department of Pathology & Department of Medical & Research Technology
Department of Radiation Oncology
Dr. and Mrs. Donald Wilson
Mahogany, Inc.
UM Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center and Department of Psychiatry
Shock Trauma Associates; Program in Trauma
Contributors
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery