2023
Emily Fontane, MD
Associate Professor & Director of Pediatric Residency Education, UF Health Jacksonville Pediatric Emergency Center Department of Emergency Medicine
2023 Awardee – Women in Medicine and Science Gender Equity Advocacy Award
- Dr. Fontane has been advocating for women, particularly under-represented minority (URM) women in medicine, since her 1st faculty position at East Carolina University (ECU) SOM where she formed the Women of Color in Medicine Group for monthly academic and social activities which included faculty members from Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Pulmonary-Critical Care. Dr. Fontane has been a mentor to an extensive list (see her CV) of women in all phases of their careers at UF, and even after graduating from their respective programs and going to other institutions. She frequently gets calls or emails from her previous students, residents, and fellows as they still rely upon her for guidance and support that she generously provides.
- Dr. Fontane has been involved with IDEA and a member of the UF Diversity Council.
2022
Leigh A. Neumayer MD, MBA, MS, FACS
Professor & Chair, Department of Surgery
2022 Awardee – Women in Medicine and Science Gender Equity Advocacy Award
“Prior to joining faculty at our institution, she served at the AAMC Women Liaison officer. In this capacity she started groups for women faculty to help improve their sense of inclusion and developed seminars for faculty and students to showcase successful women physicians and leaders. She was instrumental in hiring a second woman surgeon at the VA in Salt Lake City. She was recognized for her work at the University of Utah over two decades with the Linda K. Amos Award for Distinguished Service to Women as well as twice being awarded the American Women’s Medical Association Gender Equity Award. She created and implemented a structured faculty development and onboarding programs.”
“As department chair at the University of Arizona, she doubled the number of women faculty and hired the first women to lead major divisions in her department. She also worked relentlessly to improve it work environment as well as promotion opportunities for all faculty members.”
“She was the first woman president of the Society of Clinical Surgery and created a pathway for the other women in the organization to ascend to leadership. As president of the Western Surgical Association, she appointed a DEI task force, and appointed several women to leadership positions in the organization.”
“Since her arrival here at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville just two years ago, she has appointed the first female division chief and of the 10 faculty hired, 7 are women (3 are women of color), more than doubling the number of women faculty in the department of surgery.”