Congratulations to 2009 MLK award winners: FCM's Kathy Flores and Joanne Keatley

Colleagues of the Department of Family and Community Medicine

As we head into this historic week that begins with the holiday on Monday to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr followed by the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday as President of the United States, I would like to also celebrate the awarding of the 2009 UCSF Martin Luther King Awards to two members of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Kathy Flores and Joanne Keatley. The Martin Luther King Jr Awards recognize exceptional leadership in furthering the goal of achieving greater diversity at UCSF. 

Kathy Flores is this year's recipient of the MLK faculty award. Dr. Flores is a family physician and Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine based at the UCSF Fresno Campus. She is Director of the UCSF Fresno Latino Center of Excellence in Medical Education and Research. Dr. Flores led the establishment of the “ Doctors Academy ” at the Sunnyside High School in Fresno , a national model for health career magnet programs in public schools serving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Doctors Academy, and additional magnet middle school programs created by Dr. Flores, have transformed educational opportunities for low income minority students in Fresno county, providing motivation,  academic development, and social support to allow students to achieve unprecedented educational gains, successfully launching them on a pathway to higher education and health careers. As Director of the UCSF Fresno Latino Center of Excellence in Medical Education and Research, Dr. Flores has been a true champion of diversity, fostering career development for learners from the K-12 public school stage through post-doctoral fellows based at the Latino Center . Dr. Flores is also a member of the Excutive Board for the UCSF Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved. Dr. Flores grew up in a family of migrant farmworkers in the Fresno area, attended college at Stanford, medical school at UC Davis, and completed her residency training in the family medicine residency program at UCSF Fresno. She continues to practice half time as a community-based family physician in Fresno .  

Joanne Keatley is this year's recipient of the MLK staff award. Ms.Keatley was born in Mexico City and became a citizen of the U.S. in 1986. Ms. Keatley received her Master of Social Welfare degree from the University of California , Berkeley . Beginning at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies in 1999, JoAnne has directed numerous NIH transgender research projects and co-founded the Transgender Resources and Neighborhood Space (TRANS) project. She is Chair of San Francisco Transgender Empowerment Advocacy and Mentorship and has served on the UCSF Chancellor's Advisory committee on LGBT issues since 2000. In addition, she has consulted on transgender health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, and at the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Ms. Keatley is currently Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender HIV Prevention, based in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Through example and advocacy, Ms. Keatley has helped to broaden the UCSF community's understanding and appreciation of the many facets of diversity.

Please join me in congratulating Kathy and Joanne for their well-deserved recognition. We are honored to have them as members of the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

From icy-cold Washington DC , I send you all my best wishes for a great weekend and coming week. May you all in your own way honor the spirit of hope and humanity that is the legacy of Dr. King, and define your own way of being an agent of change.

Kevin Grumbach, MD
Professor and Chair, UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine
Chief, Family and Community Medicine, SF General Hospital
SF General Hospital, Ward 83