George Washington University’s (GW) Yolanda Haywood, M.D., RESD ’87, CERT ’04, B.S. ’81, and J. Keith Melancon, M.D., Ph.D., were named among BlackDoctor.org’s 2017 Top Blacks in Healthcare honorees.
BlackDoctor.org, an online health resource for African Americans, with the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, honored 16 individuals at the 4th Annual Top Blacks in Healthcare Awards Gala on April 27 at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Honorees were chosen by prior Top Blacks in Healthcare award recipients and individuals from the National Medical Association, GW, and the American Hospital Association, for their great contributions to medicine and health.
Haywood serves as the associate dean for diversity, inclusion, and student affairs at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS). She holds a B.S. in zoology and an M.D. from Howard University, and was a resident at SMHS. Melancon is director of the GW Transplant Institute at GW Hospital, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery, and professor of surgery at SMHS. He earned his B.S. from the University of Louisiana and his M.D. from Tulane University. Melancon specializes in kidney, liver, and pancreas transplantation, pancreas islet and stem cell transplantation, and laparoscopic kidney donation.
The awards gala was hosted by American radio DJ Donnie Simpson. Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer of Pfizer, delivered the keynote address.
“These individuals have reached the highest levels in their careers, despite the challenges, and BlackDoctor.org is honored to celebrate their success. Their trailblazing work ensures that everyone has access to quality health care,” Reggie Ware, president and CEO of BlackDoctor.org, said in an Announcements on the gala.
