The Society of Hospital Medicine Awards Andrea Martinez With Inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship Award

Emory University School of Medicine Student Committed to Serving Underrepresented Communities, Co-Founded Latino Medical Student Association Pipeline

Today, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) proudly announces Andrea Martinez, a third-year medical student at the Emory University School of Medicine, as the recipient of its inaugural Hospital Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship, made possible by keystone sponsor, Vituity. Martinez will receive a medical education assistance scholarship in the amount of $25,000.

“Andrea’s commitment to working in underserved communities, coupled with her passion for hospital medicine, perfectly reflects the values we had in mind when developing this scholarship fund,” explains Jenna Goldstein, Chief of Strategic Partnerships at SHM and staff liaison for SHM’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. “We are looking forward to presenting her with this award to support her meaningful journey in positively impacting diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare.”

“Congratulations to Andrea, who truly exemplifies the personal passion needed to transform healthcare for future generations”, says Javay Walton, Vituity’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “By helping to establish this scholarship fund with SHM, Vituity is proud to take actionable steps to improve representation at all levels of healthcare, so that tomorrow’s leaders know they can pursue their dreams without limits”.

Throughout her medical school experience, Martinez has found her passion for hospital medicine as well as helping underserved and underrepresented groups. She is the cofounder of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) Pipeline and LMSA Emory's chapter president. In addition to her work with LMSA, she has worked with the COVID-19 Latinx Equity Initiative Vaccination Campaign to enhance vaccination efforts in underserved communities.

Born and raised in Venezuela, Martinez moved to Miami, Florida at the age of fifteen. She earned her biomedical engineering degree with highest honors at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She plans on pursuing a career in internal medicine, where she can utilize her own experiences and Spanish language to connect with underserved communities, support patients in navigating the healthcare system and improve patient outcomes.

“It is an honor to receive this scholarship award, and I am grateful to SHM for recognizing my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” says Martinez. “As someone who comes from an underrepresented community, I know firsthand how important it is to identify new opportunities for medical students like me to join the healthcare community and advocate for those whose voices are not always heard.”

The scholarship fund will be presented at SHM’s annual conference, SHM Converge, in Nashville on April 9. To learn more about the scholarship and selection criteria, visit hospitalmedicine.org/DEIscholarship. For questions, please contact Jenna Goldstein, SHM Chief of Strategic Partnerships, at jgoldstein@hospitalmedicine.org.