At the 29th annual tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 12, UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael F. Collins announced that the 2017 Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity recipient is Jorge Sanchez Jr., director of client relations for Commonwealth Medicine and co-chair of the Commonwealth Medicine Cultural Diversity Committee.
Collins bestows the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity annually upon an individual or group exemplifying the school’s diversity statement.
Sanchez was recognized for his efforts in enhancing diversity well beyond his job responsibilities. This included increasing the visibility and membership of the Commonwealth Medicine Cultural Diversity Committee and spearheading several events and initiatives that emphasized the importance of an inclusive workplace.
Sanchez has been a member of the Office of Client Relations since 2009, when he joined Commonwealth Medicine as a senior client services manager. Previously, he was director of health communications for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Also at the ceremony, Collins presented the 2017 Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Civility to Eydie Cullen, state contracts administrator for Financial Services and a member of the Diversity and Equal Opportunity Office’s sub-committee on civility.
The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Civility is given to an individual or group that best exemplifies the values described in the school’s civility statement.
Preceding the Chancellor’s Award presentations, attendees heard from keynote speaker Dara Richardson-Heron, MD, CEO of YWCA USA, and congratulated the School of Medicine and Graduate School of Nursing students who were announced as recipients of the 2017 MLK Semester of Service Awards.