The Society of Hospital Medicine and Sound Physicians Award Nnamdi Igwe with Hospital Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship Fund

Third-year Medical Student Committed to Helping Marginalized Populations Receives $25K for Hospital Medicine Studies

Last month, Sound Physicians, in partnership with the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), proudly announced the winner of the SHM Hospital Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarship Fund. Sound is the Visionary Sponsor of the scholarship, which was established by SHM.

Nnadmi Igwe, a third-year student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, was selected from more than 30 applicants and was awarded the scholarship on April 14 during SHM Converge, SHM’s annual conference in San Diego, California. Sound’s Chief Health Equity and Diversity Officer Dr. Greg Johnson co-presented the award along with Dr. Eric Howell, CEO of SHM, and Dr. Kris Rehm, Outgoing President of the SHM Board.

Born and raised in Nigeria until 2013, when he moved to the U.S., Igwe saw firsthand the consequences of the lack of high-quality healthcare.

“These experiences influenced my passion for using quality improvement as a means to decrease the risk of adverse events and improve health outcomes for underserved patients,” Igwe said.

Pursuing a career in hospital medicine, Igwe is committed to helping marginalized populations get access to high-quality healthcare.

“As an immigrant myself, I can relate to the experiences of hospitalized patients with non-English language preference,” he said. “I am dedicated to improving the quality of care for this marginalized population by implementing initiatives that promote the use of efficient translation tools for bedside communication.”

Sound Physicians, committed to eliminating healthcare disparities across the communities it serves, saw the scholarship as a tangible way to help diversify the clinical workforce and support students pursuing a career in hospital medicine.

“Scholarships are part of the solution to encouraging individuals from historically underrepresented communities to enter medicine,” Dr. Johnson said. “Nnamdi is an exceptional person who has already demonstrated his commitment to the specialty of hospital medicine and to addressing inequities in healthcare. We’re proud to be a small part of improving diversity in medicine.”

The scholarship was established to help fund the medical school education of a student from an underrepresented group in medicine or from an economically disadvantaged background who has demonstrated a commitment to mitigating health disparities and working toward greater equity in healthcare. Applicants are pursuing a career in hospital medicine and were asked to write an essay and submit their curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation from clinical faculty.

“Growing a pipeline of physicians who will support underserved populations is essential to the future of medicine and the health of our communities,” Dr. Howell said. “Nnamdi's passion and innovative spirit embody the leadership and community focus that this scholarship was developed to honor.”