Winston Churchill, prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
On July 20, 11 members of the Harvard Medical School community were honored at the 2020 Dean’s Community Service Awards ceremony. These awards recognize HMS faculty, staff, trainees and students for exemplifying the School’s mission of outreach and community service.
HMS Dean George Q. Daley opened the program by recognizing this year’s honorees as selfless innovators and activists: ambassadors who have created resources to support STEM education in high schools facing funding shortages, connected communities digitally to health care resources to help eradicate hepatitis B in the Philippines or helped close gender gaps by cultivating a passion for technology and computer science in middle-school girls. Others launched a COVID-19 food assistance program, brought life-saving medical care to patients with kidney disease in Haiti and improved the lives of patients with Alzheimer's by pairing them with college students for one-to-one visits.
“In a time when we're facing major crisis, whether it's health care or racism or the financial calamities that are affecting so many of us, it's important to remember that Harvard Medical School and its wonderful faculty, students, trainees and staff really are also passionately dedicated to the communities around us and around the world,” said Daley.
Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership Joan Reede introduced each award recipient, offering gratitude and congratulations on behalf of the School.
In their own words: Some of the recipients of the 2020 Dean’s Community Service Awards discuss leadership and service with Joan Reede, HMS dean for diversity and community partnership.
2020 HMS Dean’s Community Service Awards Recipients
Faculty
Robert S. Brown, associate professor of medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess
The Organization for Renal Care in Haiti (TORCH), Inc.
Matthew Gartland, instructor in medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
MGH Asylum Clinic at the Center for Global Health
Arianne S. Kourosh, assistant professor of dermatology, Mass General
Deirdre K. Tobias, assistant professor of medicine, Brigham and Women’s
Trainees
David J. Harrison, clinical fellow in pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital
Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times
Jiska van der Reest, research fellow in cell biology
Students
Pooja Chandrashekar, MD student
Kayla Davis, PhD candidate, biological and biomedical sciences program
Oklahoma Science Project CodeLab
Renajd Rrapi, MD 2020
Staff
Jessica L. Alpert, case writer and researcher, Center for Primary Care
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center
Tara L. Lauriat, program director for academic affairs, faculty affairs
