On behalf of the Office of Graduate Medical Education at the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Department of Medicine is pleased to announce Mariel Luna Hinojosa, MD, is the winner of the 2023 Dr. Chaniece Wallace Health Care Disparity (CW-HCD) Research Award.
The CW-HCD research award was established by the Office of Graduate Medical Education in 2021 to honor Dr. Wallace, a beloved pediatric chief resident, who passed away in October 2020 from postpartum complications. The CW-HCD research award recognizes an Indiana University School of Medicine resident or fellow, who throughout their training at the School of Medicine, has demonstrated sustained commitment to addressing health care inequities through research, advocacy and community outreach.
The CW-HCD research award selection committee received an outstanding number of applications with research work ranging from addressing the socioeconomic determinants of health on the mortality and use of ECMO in children undergoing congenital heart surgery, to massive media intervention to increase colorectal cancer awareness in the Latino population of Indianapolis, to raising awareness around mental health in the community, to understanding racial bias in pulse oximetry and the race-specific correction factors for pulmonary function testing on how they have negatively impacted the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary disease among Black patients, to identifying barriers to care experienced by pediatric rheumatology patients, to advocacy work at a local and national level.
Dr. Luna Hinojosa joined the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2017 as a medical student. As a medical student, Dr. Luna Hinojosa co-founded the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) which opened opportunities for mentoring, shadowing, and scholarship for Latinx students. In 2021, she matched into the IU School of Medicine internal medicine residency program in Indianapolis. As a resident, she helped established the LMSA Pre-Health society at IUPUI for undergraduate students, a program designed to provide Latinx undergraduate students with mentorship opportunities, scholarships, and funding towards pursuing a career in medicine. Most recently, she helped co-found the Latinx Association of Residents and Fellows within the IU School of Medicine GME Multicultural Physician Alliance (MPA) group. Dr. Luna Hinojosa has established herself as a champion for diversity and health disparities education within her residency program. Her current research is focused on understanding the mediators of disparities in COPD and lung cancer and highlighting ethnic difference in tobacco use, quitting attempts, and reasons for failed tobacco cessation. She is currently involved in designing an educational curriculum for trainees, primary care physicians, and other stakeholders on understanding disparities in lung cancer. Dr. Luna Hinojosa will be continuing her residency training at IU School of Medicine, and we look forward to her continuing contribution to the school’s education, research, health equity, and inclusive excellence mission.
