On Saturday, November 12, 2022, Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH— Associate Vice President for UAB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Senior Associate Dean for Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion, and Director of the UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center—accepted the Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual conference in Nashville, TN. 

The Vilcek-Gold Award is a shared initiative of the Vilcek Foundation and the Gold Foundation that embodies the mission of both organizations. The award is given annually to outstanding immigrant healthcare professionals in the United States and honors the positive impact that accessible, humanistic, and compassionate care has on public health. 

“This award means so much to me,” said Fouad. “I am humbled to be standing here with you today.”

At the ceremony, Fouad shared her story and pursuit of health equity in the presentation, “It’s all about the People: Compassion and Resilience in the Journey Toward Health Equity.” 

Fouad opened up about her early life in Alexandria, Egypt, and how she came close to having never been on the right continent to conduct the research and implement the interventions that have impacted so many.

After enrolling in medical school in Alexandria, Fouad began working in rural communities where she encountered harsh realities that would later be known as the social determinants of health. She wondered, Even if people living in these poor communities could afford to see a doctor, how would they get there? Who would watch their children?

Later, relocating to Birmingham for her husband’s job, Fouad was determined to make a path for herself. This mindset set the tone for decades of hard work, compassion-driven programs, and the resilience to make it all happen.

She went on to speak on the parallels between health disparities in Alexandria, Egypt and, Birmingham, Alabama. As the story unfolded, Fouad told of the early days of establishing health disparities as a science and how her team plans to use what they’ve learned over two decades to develop practical efforts to achieve health equity.

“If we can really focus on trust and listen to the people, we can find solutions… Achieving health equity is no longer an option; it’s a priority,” explained Fouad in her final remarks.