In 2020, the Office of Diversity and Community Relations created the President’s Leadership in Diversity Awards to recognize graduating students from our doctoral and graduate programs who have shown exceptional dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion at PCOM.
These awards honor students who have led initiatives, developed programs, or taken meaningful actions to advance diversity and inclusion within the PCOM community. Nominations are carefully reviewed by a diverse committee of faculty and staff from all three PCOM campuses.
| Shanna Davis, MS/M | Jennifer Milmore, PsyD | Dyonna Jade Wilkerson, MS |
| Nina Goins, MS/NPLP | Jacqueline Oluoch, PhD | Raushaun Williams, DO |
| Abreah Little, MS/PA | Starling Noboa Salobo, MS/Biomed |
| Gazang Abdulla, MS/PA | Chijioke Emeka, PharmD | Amiah Williams, DPT |
| LaSara Bell, DO | Emily Graves, MS/Biomed |
| Zizah- Wosseni J. Blair, DO | Jodeci Mitchell, MS/Biomed |
Within the community, Shanna demonstrates her commitment to leadership in diversity. As a member of the Diversity Parents Network, a parent volunteer group that supports diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives within the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy community. Embracing diversity as a condition of excellence, the DPRN helps plan activities that promote cultural appreciation and awareness. In addition to this, Shanna is a devout member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Through her work as the Youth Advisor, she has developed workshops that promote cultural awareness and enhance social skills, educational enrichment, leadership development and community service.
Nina Goins has demonstrated powerful leadership in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) space in her practice at Allies, Inc. She is the leading champion and has practiced with a collaborative leadership stance to move forward the DEIB agenda at her place of employment. Her engagement of the strategies she learned in the Master of Science in Non Profit Leadership and Population Health program curriculum has been instrumental to receiving sponsorship from the CEO to lead the DEIB change strategy in her organization.
As a PA student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Abreah has served as the Physician Assistant Student liaison for the Student National Medical Association 2023-2024. She also has served as a student peer tutor with a passion for helping diminish barriers to education for underrepresented students.
Jennifer was instrumental in establishing psychology students' membership and participation in PCOM’s student-run healthcare service clinic known as “PCOM Hearts.” Jennifer’s leadership was fundamental in leading one of the first PCOM Psychology Hearts Clinics.
Jacqueline is a bilingual school psychologist who has worked in culturally and linguistically diverse Philadelphia schools for over 6 years. She has presented on issues related to supporting multicultural students and parents through the local and national evaluation process. She presented in a webinar hosted by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) in 2022. She was invited to develop and present a continuing education workshop at the NASP Convention in 2024. Jacqueline seeks to understand better how to train practicing school psychologists on culturally responsive practices.
Starling (Star) is a committed student in the Biomedical Sciences program. He has served as the Biomedical Sciences Student Liaison for the Student National Medical Association 23-24. He also participated in a number of community service events within and outside of the PCOM community.
As a Mental Health Counseling student, Dyonna has shown her commitment to diversity in many ways. Through her involvement in Sisters in Medicine, she has incorporated her skills and knowledge to advocate for underserved populations and continues this work outside of PCOM.
Raushaun’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is highlighted through his service to underserved communities. Raushaun is a site organizer for The Shop Docs in Philadelphia, which provides blood pressure screenings and information to patrons in local barber shops. Raushaun served as an organizer of the Annual Southwest Health Fair. At PCOM, Raushaun served as the community service chair of PCOM Pride and SNMA, Diversity Chair of the DO Council, and a mentor for the SNMA Brotherhood Alliance for Science and Education.
Gazang is highly involved as the physician assistant program diversity class chair, as an admissions ambassador, open house events, Blood pressure screenings at community wellness events, and the Atlanta Science festival. Gazang was named the 2022 Rising Health Leader by the Amed Medical Foundation for “impactful community service, leadership and dedication to improving education and health in underserved communities.”
LaSara’s leadership was fundamental to the development and execution of the Diversity Diplomat Program. It has been a successful and sustainable PCOM Georgia-specific initiative. LaSara is also a Past President of SNMA.
Chijioke's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion was highlighted through her dedication and work with SNPhA, PCOM Student Ambassador program, and SOP Student Mentor program. As the President of SNPhA she specifically facilitated the implementation of the first ever Winter Giving Campaign, helped increase membership by 25%, and established several long standing collaborations with local churches and diabetes foundations as well as the other Georgia pharmacy schools.
Emily Graves has served as the Chair of SGA's First Gen Committee since May 2022. During her time as Chair, Emily led PCOM Georgia’s Spanish Badge Buddy Initiative that has now extended to Philadelphia and is currently being enhanced for Pharmacy and Physical Therapy programs. Emily also spoke at PCOM's First-Generation Celebration Day in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, she has hosted a First-Generation Healthcare Provider Q&A luncheon.
When Emily is not hard at work in the research lab, she is serving as a Diversity Diplomat. In this role, Emily has served on the First-Gen panel during our First-Gen Meet & Greet, hosted First-Gen trivia in the Atrium and served as a mentor during STEM Saturdays and with the Medical Explorers Program on Tuesday nights. When one of our Hispanic junior mentors needed support, Emily stepped in and has served as an informal mentor.
Amiah has shown her dedication to leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion through many experiences at PCOM and in the community. She volunteered at FOCUS "OctoberFest" Camp 2022 where she worked with young adults with neurological and multisystem birth defects. Through her role as a volunteer camp counselor, she was able to utilize my SPT knowledge while interacting with the campers by transferring, feeding, and bathing dependent young adults.
Zizah has been involved in numerous organizations at PCOM. From 2020 to 2022, Zizah was the Vice President for South Georgia's Student National Medical Association chapter as well as the DEI Student Co-Chair. Through her roles, she was dedicated to supporting underrepresented minority medical students, addressing health disparities in underserved populations, and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent physicians.
As the class chair for her Biomedical Sciences program, Jodeci Mitchell had the opportunity to showcase her leadership and organizational skills while cultivating an inclusive environment. She served as a moderator for Black History Month, specifically in the event "Telling Our Stories: The Power of Narrative Medicine in the Black Community." Through this role, she has highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusivity in health care. Being a member of Sisters in Medicine and the Student National Medical Association has provided her with a supportive community and valuable networking opportunities. Lastly, she has participated in various community outreach activities, including volunteering at local women's shelters. She is passionate about health care and dedicated to serving others. These accomplishments reflect her commitment to making a difference in the field.
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