GW Out for Health Presents Inaugural Lavender Award

Congratulations to Melissa Carroll, PhD, associate professor of anatomy and cell biology at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences, who received the inaugural GW Out for Health Lavender Award. The award, created by the Out for Health leadership team, celebrates faculty members who go above and beyond to be LGBTQ+ inclusive in their curricula.

Carroll has previously published on the historical exclusionary nature of the field of anatomy and the need for inclusivity and diversification in practice, scientific societies, and academia. She has similarly incorporated themes of equity and inclusion in her classroom.

“I am honored to have received this award,” said Carroll. “As medical educators, we have an influential role on how we train the next generation to practice medicine, and it’s critical that we make space for historically marginalized groups in our understanding of care. This award shows that we’re on the right path.”

GW Out for Health aims to raise awareness and support for LGBTQ+ students as well as LGBTQ-specific health issues. The group hosts several events throughout the school year focused on providing a sense of community to the members of the LGBTQ+ community and exploring what it means to be an LGBTQ+ health care provider, and GW Out for Health plays an integral role in the development of the GW SMHS and GW Hospital LGBTQ+ Health Initiative.

An executive board comprising medical students and faculty advisers Lawrence “Bopper” Deyton, MD ’85, MSPH, senior associate dean for clinical public health, Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy, and professor of medicine at GW SMHS, and Amy Caggiula, MD ’10, assistant professor of emergency medicine at GW SMHS, leads Out for Health, spearheaded the selection process for the Lavender Award.