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Meet the Honorees


Each honoree will receive distinguished recognition from NMF for either their personal contributions or on the behalf of their organization's unwavering commitment to health equity.

Photo of Dr. David Carlisle. He is wearing glasses, a a white shirt, multicolored tie, and a black blazer.

Presently serving since 2011 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine (CDU) and Science in the Watts-Willowbrook area of Los Angeles County, Dr. Carlisle is a published author in health policy, quality of care, medical education diversity and eliminating health disparities. A board-certified Internal Medicine specialist, his clinical work has always revolved around caring for the underserved.

President Carlisle graduated from Wesleyan University, majoring in chemistry. He then earned his Medical Degree from Brown University, his Master of Public Health and his PhD in Health Services Research from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He completed a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program fellowship at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 1990.

Dr. Carlisle has been affiliated with the UCLA Department of Medicine for approximately thirty-one years, becoming a tenured Associate Professor in 1998. He is presently a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at CDU and an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at UCLA.

President Carlisle served as Director of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for eleven years (2000-2011) under Governor Gray Davis, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Governor Jerry Brown. Under his leadership, OSHPD released its first-ever health disparities reports, increased scholarship and loan repayment opportunities for health providers committed to practice in underrepresented, under-resourced and underserved communities, and successfully administered hospital seismic safety as well as health facility loan insurance programs.

In 2007, Dr. Carlisle became a Senior Fellow at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs and presently is also a member of the Advisory Council of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. In 2018 he was appointed as a member of the California Future Health Workforce Commission. In 2018, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the California Health Care Foundation, is a member of the Futuro Health Community Board, and served as a founding member of the BioscienceLA Board.

Dr. Carlisle has lived in Los Angeles and Sacramento for almost 40 years. He is married to Dr. Sylvia Carlisle and together they have two children, David and Aimee, both defense attorneys.

2024 NMF Excellence in Medical Education Award presented to

Logo reading Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Photo of Dr. Alisahah Jackson wearing a white blouse.

Dr. Jackson is president of the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness & Health Justice.

Dr. Jackson is a strong advocate for health equity, believing everyone should be able to achieve great health, no matter what they look like, how much money they make, or where they come from. A musician, a physician, a mother, a volunteer and a leader are just a few words to describe Dr. Jackson. Her work runs the gamut from developing health equity plans for underserved communities to building solutions to address substance abuse and support behavioral health and maternity care.

Dr. Jackson completed her residency in Family Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center, where she received the Bryant L. Galusha Intern of the Year Award and served as Co-Chief Resident. Since completing medical school, she has held leadership roles including Medical Director of a rural health clinic and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine. She was named the first Chief Community Impact Officer at Atrium Health where she established their Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health strategy.

Dr. Jackson joined CommonSpirit Health in June, 2020 as its first System Vice President of Population Health Innovation and Policy, with responsibilities for strategy development for vulnerable populations, health equity and innovative care delivery models.

2024 NMF Leadership in Health Care Award

 

           * NMF alumni

Photo of Elaine Welteroth wearing a gold jacket and large hoop earrings.

Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist, TV host, and author of the instant New York Times bestselling book "More Than Enough," which won the 2020 NAACP Image Award for outstanding literary work. At age 29, she was named the youngest editor-in-chief in Condè Nast’s history, where under her leadership, Teen Vogue evolved into a platform that elevates marginalized voices and amplifies political discourse. After spending more than a decade climbing the ranks of magazine journalism, Elaine shares her expert fashion industry advice as a judge on Bravo’s "Project Runway.” Her MasterClass on redesigning your career debuted in 2021 and has helped thousands navigate career transitions. Now, her popular new advice column “Ask Elaine” appears in The Washington Post, exploring how to navigate pivots in life with more ease and less angst. In addition to The Washington Post, her writing appears in the New York Times, British Vogue and Time.

In April 2024, Elaine launched birthFUND, a movement for maternal health committed to expanding access to safe and affirming birth care across the country. With the support of Founding Funders such as Serena Williams, Kelly Rowland and Karlie Kloss and corporate partners such as SoFi, Pampers and BabyList, birthFUND has raised over $1.5M for families seeking midwives, while raising awareness and challenging the way the United States approaches maternal healthcare.

2024 NMF Imagineer Award