Guest Speakers

Lorena Wright, MD

I am an adult endocrinologist and the founder and Director of the latinx diabetes clinic, part of the uw diabetes institute. our clinic focuses on culturally and linguistically appropriate diabetes care, by increasing access to technology and novel therapies to decrease disparities in diabetes care and outcomes.

Gina Kang, MD, MPH, MHS

I am fellowship trained and board-certified in geriatrics and hospice and palliative medicine. My clinical, educational innovation and research areas of interest include health disparities in diverse older adults, care of immigrant populations and intersection of geriatrics and palliative care. I spend the majority of my clinical time between both UW Montlake and Harborview Medical Centers attending in geriatrics and palliative care in both outpatient and inpatient settings.

Rashmi Sharma, MD, MHS

I am an Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Washington and Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the UW Medicine Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence. My research program focuses on improving the quality of care for patients with serious illness through multi-level interventions with a focus on minoritized and immigrant populations.

Jill Watanabe MD, MPH, FACP

I am a UW Associate Professor of Medicine and ethics consultant in the departments of Primary Care and Internal Medicine

Angele Theard, MD

I am an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management at UW's HMC and I serve as the fellowship director for Neuroanesthesia at UW. I completed my residency in Anesthesiology at The University of Illinois in Chicago followed by a fellowship in Neuroanesthesia at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. I have published several articles illuminating the limitations of structural racism in patient care and education, conducted surveys, and workshops examining approaches for eliminating or reducing systemic racism in medicine. As a faculty member, I have matriculated in leadership courses, an educational scholars program, and a Northwestern University sponsored course on strategies for incorporating EDI at the systems level. These experiences have culminated in the achievement of grant support through the ASA to connect with a community program to begin a pathway to medicine program in Portland, OR for middle and high school students. Grant support through the NIH these past 2 years here at UW has afforded me an opportunity to help learners at the UG and Graduate levels develop a broader understanding of injury and violence prevention through the lens of health equity and to develop effective strategies for prevention. At the high school level, I have had the opportunity to contribute to addressing the problem of youth violence through education particularly in our communities of color. This year I launched LEAD UP (Leadership Education to Advance Diversity in Underrepresented Populations) at UWSOM, a leadership enrichment program to support members of these groups advance as leaders equipped to promote equity and inclusion efforts in patient care, education, and research.

Rhea Udyavar, MD

I am a general and endocrine surgeon whose research interests are in racial disparities in surgical care. I specifically am interested in individual provider-level and systems-level causes and promoters of racial disparities including systemic racism and implicit base, with the goal of crafting targeted interventions to reduce health inequities.