Skip to main content
Close
Vilcek Foundation
  • About
    • About

      The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation of the arts and sciences.

    • Our Mission
    • Board & Staff
    • Press Center
    • Contact
  • Prizes
    • Prizes

      The Vilcek Foundation Prizes are awarded to foreign-born individuals for extraordinary achievement in the arts and sciences.

    • About the Prizes

      Learn more about the Vilcek Foundation Prizes and the prizewinners.

    • Vilcek Prizes

      Awarded to immigrants with a legacy of major accomplishments.

    • Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise

      Awarded to young immigrant professionals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement early in their careers.

    • Vilcek Prize for Excellence

      Awarded to immigrants who have had a significant impact on American society, or to individuals who are dedicated champions of immigrant causes.

    • Prize Recipients
    • Grants for Organizations
  • Art
  • Events
  • News
Sign Up Search
Home > News > Dr. Mona Fouad receives 2022 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare

Dr. Mona Fouad receives 2022 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare

News | June 1, 2022
Tags
healthcare vilcek-gold
Share this page
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
Dr. Mona Fouad standing behind a podium at the National Academy of Medicine.
In 2017, Dr. Fouad was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors given to a physician or scientist in the United States.

The Vilcek Foundation and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation announce that the 2022 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare will be awarded to Dr. Mona Fouad, MD, MPH. She receives the award for her leadership in health disparities research, and for her career-long commitment to equity in healthcare. Fouad’s work has been foundational in the development of rigorous research and interventions to make healthcare more accessible and equitable to historically underserved populations in the United States.

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

Dr. Mona Fouad smiling and wearing a pink jacket.

Dr. Mona Fouad: Alexandria to Alabama

Fouad was born in Cairo, Egypt, and immigrated to the United States in 1980. She is the founding director of the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Minority Health & Health Disparity Research Center, the Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, and the Director of the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine.

Fouad studied medicine at Alexandria University Medical School in Alexandria, Egypt, and subsequently completed an internship with the university hospital before practicing medicine in rural communities in Egypt for a year. The experiences at the university hospital and in working with under-served communities provided Fouad with insight and perspective into how socioeconomic factors impact health outcomes and access to healthcare.

A black and white photo of Mona Fouad smiling.
Mona Fouad as an 18-year old medical student in Alexandria, Egypt.

In 1984, Fouad moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she completed her MPH at UAB. There, she took a research assistant position in the Division of Preventive Medicine at UAB, assessing heart disease risk factors among city employees, many of whom were African American.

A group photo of Birmingham REACH for Better Health community wearing green shirts.
In 2014, community partners, residents, and researchers celebrate the launch of Birmingham REACH for Better Health, a program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote racial and ethnic approaches to community health.

The Minority Health & Health Disparity Research Center

In Birmingham, Fouad saw parallels to her work in rural Egypt, as her research for UAB uncovered how socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity were tied to healthcare access and healthcare outcomes.  Fouad was compelled to develop a body of work that would support better and more equitable health outcomes for historically under-served communities. She recognized that it would be critical to publish scientific research providing concrete evidence of social determinants of health. With this goal in mind, Fouad founded the Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center at UAB in 2002. Since its establishment, the Center has grown from a few researchers to more than 200 members across a range of disciplines and specialties.

The Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare

“Throughout her career, Dr. Mona Fouad has seen how vital making health education and preventative health care accessible to communities, and she has built groundbreaking systems to expand such care and galvanize more partners in her work,” says Jan Vilcek, Chairman and CEO of the Vilcek Foundation. “From her first work as a physician in rural Egypt, to her leadership as a public health advocate in the Southern United States, she has mobilized both her medical training and understanding of the human condition to improve the lives of the patients and communities she serves.”

The Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare includes an unrestricted cash prize of $10,000, and a commemorative heart-shaped trophy. The award will be presented to Fouad at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Meeting in November, 2022.

Tags
healthcare vilcek-gold
Share this page
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Related News

January 31, 2023

Dr. Mona Fouad: “It’s all about the people”

Vilcek-Gold Award recipient Dr. Mona Fouad speaks about her career in health-equity research.
Mona Fouad standing behind the podium at the AAMC meeting.
November 11, 2022

Call for Nominations: The 2023 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare

The Vilcek Foundation and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation have announced an open call for nominations for the 2023 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare—a $10,000 prize.
A digital rendering of the 2023 Vilcek-Gold trophy in various shades of green.
December 10, 2021

Breaking More Barriers: Vilcek-Gold Award recipients speak at AAMC

Immigrant physicians Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn and Denisse Rojas Marquez advocate for more equitable healthcare systems at the Association of American Medical Colleges.

You may also be interested in

Roberta Capp

Roberta Capp receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for exposing systemic barriers to health care access in the United States, and for exploring innovative, equitable models for delivering medical care.
Portrait of Roberta Capp

Join our mailing list

Sign Up
Vilcek Foundation
21 East 70th Street
New York, New York 10021

Phone: 212.472.2500

Email: info@vilcek.org

  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Board and Staff
    • Press Center
    • Contact
  • Prizes
    • Vilcek Prizes
    • Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise
    • Vilcek Prize for Excellence
    • Prize Recipients
    • Grants for Organizations
  • Art
  • Events
  • News
  • Careers
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Vimeo
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
© 2023   Vilcek Foundation