News & Announcements

NMF to Honor Known Changemakers in Health Equity at Star-Studded Gala in Los Angeles

Photo of the Audrey Irmas Pavillion, which has arched glass windows and a doorway.

Los Angeles, CA – October 9, 2024 – National Medical Fellowships (NMF) will celebrate nearly 80 years of promoting health equity and bridging the health-wealth gap with a gala and awards ceremony honoring the organization’s deep history and recognizing the work of their outstanding supporters. The This Time, This Place gala will take place on October 18, 2024, at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, and the Versailles-inspired fundraiser experience will feature inspirational words, award presentations, entertainment, and more.

Treasurer of NMF’s Board of Directors, Efrain Talamantes, M.D. (Chief Operating Officer of AltaMed
Health Services) and NMF Board Member Carmen Villar, MSW (Vice President of Gilead Sciences) will
serve as emcees for the evening, leading the night’s programming as NMF scholars, alumni, and friends
gather to raise funding to help diversify the health care workforce.

The NMF Board of Directors and the Host Committee of NMF supporters are leading the event.
Acclaimed actor, producer, and director Don Cheadle and serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and
Blackbird Collective Founder Bridgid Coulter Cheadle serve as honorary chairs of the Host Committee.
They are joined on the committee by: Lauded actress, activist, and advocate, Tichina Arnold and
manager extraordinaire, Zenay Arnold, Co-founders of the We Win Foundation. Co-Founders of the
Creary Family Foundation Ludlow, M.D., MPH and Ruth Creary, Ph.D; Chief Executive Officer of
CommonSpirit Health Wright Lassiter III; and Chief Operating Officer of AltaMed Efrain Talamantes, M.D. are also esteemed host committee members of this gala. Their support helped make this event possible, creating an opportunity to honor four individuals who have received distinguished recognition from NMF thanks to their creativity, generosity, and unwavering dedication to health equity.

This year’s honorees include: NMF Excellence in Medical Education Award individual recipient Marco
Angulo, M.D., M.S.S.
(Medical Director of Medical Education, AltaMed); NMF Excellence in Medical
Education Award
institutional recipient Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, accepted
by David M. Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D. (President and Chief Executive Officer, Charles R. Drew University of
Medicine); NMF Leadership in Health Care Award recipient and NMF alumna Alisahah Jackson, M.D.
(President, Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness & Health Justice, CommonSpirit Health); and NMF
Imagineer Award recipient Elaine Welteroth (Journalist, TV Host, Author, Founder of birthFUND).


“We are humbled to have the honor of recognizing these individuals and their organizations whose
groundbreaking work is transforming health care, advancing diversity, and creating a more just and equitable society. From exceptional teachings that educate the next generation of health care professionals, innovative contributions in the workplace that empower growth across the field, and creative thinking that reimagines the way we deliver health care to marginalized communities, these changemakers are driving progress towards a future where health equity is not just an aspiration, but a reality. It is our great privilege to celebrate their inspirational accomplishments.”

NMF President and CEO Michellene Davis, ESQ.

Also supporting this event are the generous presenting sponsors Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and
AltaMed, dinner sponsor Genentech, entertainment sponsor Gilead Sciences, reception sponsor We
Win Foundation
, gold sponsors CommonSpirit Health, and Blue Shield of California, silver sponsors
Morgan Stanley, Providence, and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles Medical Group, and bronze
sponsors Keck School of Medicine of USC and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

For nearly 80 years, NMF has worked to build a more diverse health care workforce and promote health
equity by providing $50 million in scholarships to Black, Indigenous, Latine, and People of Color medical
students. Its mission is to broaden the pathways to medical education for students from communities
underrepresented in medicine, provide transformative leadership opportunities that help to diversify
clinical research, and deliver programs and support to ensure the future success of medical students and current practitioners. With a network of over 32,000 alumni, NMF advocates for health equity and key issues that impact pressing health disparities. In recent years, NMF has revamped its scholarship
programs, broadened its footprint to diversify clinical trials research, attracted increased funding from
new partners, and provided thought leadership on global platforms.

NMF is a health care workforce development organization devoted to providing financial support to
academically gifted medical students and career development opportunities to transformative health
care leaders while also celebrating the richness of their brilliance and their lived experiences. As it fulfills
this mission, we grow closer to the possibility of having excellent, culturally conscious, and empathetic
care accessible to all.