This year, UC San Francisco is awarding three UCSF Medals - the University's highest honor - to remarkable leaders who have advanced diversity through mentorship. Join Chancellor Sam Hawgood in what will no doubt be an important conversation with this year's Medal recipients, touching on the important issues of our time:

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, MA, PhD – President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Dr. Hrabowski’s personal mission is to increase the number of minority students pursuing advanced careers in STEM. During his leadership, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County has grown from being a commuter school to a research-based campus, and more Black students earned bachelor’s degrees in science and technology than from any other non-historically black university in Maryland. In 2012, Dr. Hrabowski was named by President Barack Obama to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

A lifelong advocate for civil rights, Dr. Hrabowski was prominently featured in Spike Lee’s 1997 documentary, Four Little Girls, on the racially motivated 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Afaf I. Meleis, PhD, DrPS, FAAN – Dean Emerita, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Professor Emerita, UCSF School of Nursing

Dr. Meleis is an advocate for women’s health and education. She is nationally known for her success in recruiting and retaining Hispanic, African American, and Middle Eastern women for masters and doctoral level preparation. Dr. Meleis developed and led innovative programs to support and foster educational success of young women, particularly those who are disproportionally affected by societal inequities, multiplicity of roles, and the gender divide. A former UCSF faculty member, she was critical in the creation of the School of Nursing’s doctoral program in 1965 – the first of its kind in the western United States. Dr. Meleis served as Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Director from 2002-2014.

John A. Watson, PhD – Professor Emeritus, UCSF School of Medicine

Dr. Watson is a pioneer for diversity, an inspiring mentor, and a tenacious scientist whose service to UCSF spans 46 years. He is responsible for overhauling the School of Medicine’s admissions process, placing greater emphasis on diversity and utilizing a more holistic approach to capture the individual strengths of applicants. Dr. Watson has always believed in the power of mentorship, and was a mentor to prominent UCSF alumni including A. Eugene Washington, MD and Michael Drake, MD. In 2015, the UCSF School of Medicine established the Watson Scholars, a grant given to eight faculty members who share the University’s commitment to diversity and service to underserved or vulnerable populations.

RSVP via Eventbrite and log onto https://www.ucsf.edu/2020-ucsf-medals to view the event.