Dr. Ana Núñez Recognized by the American Medical Women’s Association

Ana Núñez, MD, FACP, vice dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a professor in the Department of Medicine, will receive the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Exceptional Mentor Award. 

“It is such a delight and honor to receive this award. What a lovely surprise,” Dr. Núñez said. “We go into our careers to help. To me, mentorship is in my DNA. I do this to help those who come next and help make a difference. Watching others rise up is incredibly rewarding.”

Since 1915, the AMWA has been at the forefront of giving vision and voice to women in medicine. The Exceptional Mentor Award is based on the nomination of women who have been inspiring leaders in their field. Dr. Núñez’s legacy of instilling in women a passion for medicine has not gone unnoticed by her peers.

One of the nominators of the award, Dr. Bisi Alli, shared that she met Dr. Núñez through the Women's Wellness Through Equity and Leadership (WEL) Program. WEL is dedicated to addressing gender disparities in the medical field.

“Dr. Núñez has been a phenomenal mentor. She shares both thoughtful and humorous stories about her own personal career advancement, and her tips have been invaluable to me,” Dr. Alli said. “She is one of the most knowledgeable and resourceful people I have met, and she is most deserving of this AMWA distinction.” 

Dr. Núñez shares that the award helps bring attention to a gap in medical education and said, “Mentorship and sponsorship are critical for improving medicine and healthcare. Despite half of the medical students who are women, current forecasts say that achieving 30% of leaders who are women will take 85 years. We all have work to do.”

Dr. Núñez will be recognized during the 2021 AMWA Virtual Annual Meeting. For more information, visit www.amwa-doc.org.