Check out our new branding, meet an Indigenous health equity advocate, and much more!
No images? Click here
A North Star for Health Equity
NMF’s work is grounded the north star of its Strategic Framework, and this newsletter
includes icons indicating the strategic pillars advanced.
Introducing NMF's New Logo
The new “north star” logo draws upon rich multicultural traditions and signifies NMF’s pursuit of the “true north” of health equity. This logo draws upon the motif of a star, which carries importance in many cultures that NMF serves. The North Star quilt block was often used by African American quilters during the Civil War era, symbolizing a navigational reference and the pursuit of freedom and a better life. Hopi and Navajo people use an eight-pointed star to represent hope and guidance. A similar Guñelve symbol from the Chilean
Mapuche culture represents dawn and the morning star, Venus.
The new logo is part of a larger rebranding effort. NMF relaunched its website to create an inviting and engaging experience for visitors. Our social media channels also have a fresh, new look!
A Rising Star for Health Equity
Victor Carmen-Lopez, a changemaker whom we admire, is seeking to partner with NMF. He actively shares NMF opportunities through his networks to other Indigenous students.
He is an enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe (Hunkpati Dakota Oyate), who is also from the Yaqui Nation. Lopez-Carmen helped develop curriculum on Indigenous health as co-president of Harvard Medical School’s Native American Health Organization and founded Translations 4 Our Nations, a grant-funded program translating culturally relevant COVID-19 information in over 40 Indigenous languages.
For his extensive efforts, Lopez-Carmen has been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, BBC, The Boston Globe, and more. Although not an NMF scholar — at least not yet — Carmen-Lopez is entering his final year at Harvard Medical School.
NMF Advocates for Health Equity on Martha's Vineyard
NMF held its inaugural summer reception on Martha's Vineyard on August 16th amidst the Island's festivities and wowed its guests with a lively program. Co-owners of the historic Black Joy House Allessandra Bradley-Burns, founder of Fearless Labs and Melissa L. Bradley, founder of 1863 Ventures, warmly welcomed guests. President and CEO Michellene Davis, Esq. moderated a fireside chat, Advancing Health Equity in a Time of Backlash with Dr. Aliya Frances Browne, a cardiologist at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Board Director and alumnus Dr. Calvin Wheeler. Board Director Kweku Awotwi, joined by Host Committee Member Christal Jackson, chair of the Africa America Institute, spoke to the importance of NMF in achieving global health equity. Melissa L. Bradley then returned to the stage to issue a stirring call to action to join NMF in its fight for health equity, bringing the evening to a rousing close.
Photo caption: Board Directors Dr. Calvin Wheeler, Rakia Reynolds, Michellene Davis, Esq. (President & CEO), and Kweku Awotwi at the reception.
In other activities on Island, NMF was a featured panelist on the stages of Mosaic Genius, Diverse and Engaged, and was a LinkedIn-invited panelist for CultureVations' Well-being: A New Framework of Self Discovery for the African Diaspora and Creating a Plan to Thrive.
Scholar/Alumni Opportunities
Introducing the Horizon Behavioral Health Scholarship
Established in 2023 by The Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon), the Horizon Behavioral Health Scholarship aims to address the critical need for diverse psychiatrists – Black, Indigenous, Latino/e, and People of Color – in New Jersey by providing financial support to four exceptional M.D.s pursuing their residency in psychiatry.
The scholarship provides financial assistance to two residents specializing in general psychiatry and two residents specializing in pediatric psychiatry. Each recipient will receive a total of $40,000 ($10,000/year) for the duration of their four-year residency program. To be eligible for the Horizon Behavioral Health Scholarship, applicants must be enrolled in one of New Jersey's psychiatry residency programs. Preference will be given to New Jersey residents, students underrepresented in psychiatry residency programs, and to those with an interest in practicing in New Jersey post-residency.
NBME’s New Emerging Innovators Grant Program
The initiative is intended for early to mid- career educators and also intended to advance equity in medical education and assessment. The focus of this call for proposals is: Promoting Equitable Assessment in Medical Education. NBME encourages proposals from individuals and/or teams including those minoritized and/or marginalized in medicine and teams that include learners or trainees among their membership.
NBME will fund up to $25,000 in total for each accepted proposal. Four proposals that can be completed within a 1–2-year timeframe will be selected. Whether the proposed research or program implementation is completely novel, or new to your own setting, we encourage emerging innovators to apply for this new grant opportunity by Oct. 8, 2023.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program
Interested in working at the intersection of health care and policy, learning from the most influential leaders and government executives in the country?
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows program offers a 12-month career-building experience in Washington, D.C., working with congressional and executive offices. If you are a motivated mid-career professional interested in growing your health policy acumen, learn more about our fellowship and how to apply for the class of 2024.
Up to eight awards of up to $175,000 each will be made for fellowships that begin in 2024.
Application Deadline: November 1, 2023, 3:00 PM EST.
Alumni Opportunities
Sawubona Training
NMF and the Association of Black Psychologists will be offering Sawubona Healing Circle Facilitator Training. NMF is also in conversation with the National Latinx Psychological Association, to further work on NMF’s strategic pillar advancing behavioral health and wellbeing.
Alumni Listen & Learn Session
Join our Listen and Learn session on September 13, 2023, from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. EDT to learn about the many opportunities we offer to engage with scholars and fellow alumni!
We aim to discuss how we can best partner to equip and empower the next generation of health care professionals by raising philanthropic support to continue to reduce their financial burden and offer service-learning and clinical research opportunities.
Have you ever thought of growing your career in the direction of clinical research? The NMF Diversity in Clinical Trials Research Program is recruiting health care professionals interested in becoming Principal Investigators. The goal of this tuition-free training program is to increase the diversity of both clinical investigators and patient participants in clinical research to ensure that treatment and preventative regimens are safe and effective across all populations.
