2023
Rings In A New Year of Commitment for Health Legacy of Cleveland, Ohio
All questions related to the scholarship process should be emailed to Dr. Cordelia G. Harris
Health Legacy of Cleveland Scholarship Awards for School Year 2022-2023:
Christopher King $ 3,500. Meharry College of Dentistry 4th Year (Renewal Scholarship)
Jennifer Ruffin $3,500. Ohio University Medical School 4th Year (Renewal Scholarship)
Rebekah Russell $2,000. Case Western Reserve School of Medicine 3rd Year (Renewal Scholarship
Jasmine Williams $1,000. Meharry Medical College 2nd Year (New Scholarship)
Total Awards= $10,000.
Greetings from President and Chair of Health Legacy of Cleveland Ohio Inc.
It is my pleasure to serve as the President and Chair of the Board of Directors of Health Legacy of Cleveland, Inc. This organization has played a pivotal role in highlighting health care disparities between the African American community and other communities in the United States and has also provided ongoing scholarship support to ensure that more minorities attend medical and dental schools so that the pipeline of minority physicians and dentists is secure.
We are in the process of expanding our mission to also become more activist in our approach to healthcare needs and disparities by connecting the medical expertise of our Board members to the ongoing health care challenges that are being experienced by the Black community during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We invite your involvement, ideas and continuing support of our efforts. I look forward to working with you more in upcoming days ahead.
Sincerely Yours,
Meet the recipients of the Health Legacy of Cleveland Scholarship Awards for 2022-2023!
(Look for the 2023-2024 Medical and Dental Students’ Scholarship Application on this Website at the end of February 2023)
Featuring Jasmine Williams
Jasmine Williams currently is a 2nd year Medical Student at Meharry College. She is known for her strong leadership skills, professionalism, innovation and impeccable judgement. Being inquisitive and forward thinking, Jasmine is passionate about scientific discovery. These traits have served her well as a volunteer at the Cleveland Clinic Children Hospital. As a volunteer, Jasmine promoted health for children in her community and is committed to guiding health equity in marginalized communities. With Jasmine’s intellect, motivation, independence and innovation her teachers/mentors are confident that she will contribute to the mission of Health Legacy of Cleveland, Ohio Inc.
Jasmine shared that it was her own pediatrician that attracted her to the field of Medicine. Shadowing experiences and educational opportunities further strengthened her desire to become a physician. Also, her own family did not have access to major health/medical facilities in Twinsburg, Ohio.
Jasmine has held positions as a Medical Scribe, Patient Access Representative, Emergency Medical Technician and has served in the role of Patient Assistant. She is focused on serving the underserved populations in Northeast Ohio. She wants to work towards increasing minority physicians in Northeast Ohio. Also, Jasmine desires to assist with increasing preventative measures, with her goal being to improve health equity in the Greater Cleveland area and beyond.
Due to the pandemic, Jasmine stated that her first year of medical school was completely virtual. This challenge impacted her ability to explore various specialties through shadowing. Also, Jasmine focused on how the important connections with her classmates were limited as well.
Previously Featured Health Legacy of Cleveland Scholarship Recipients
The Charge of Health Legacy
Health Legacy of Cleveland has been committed to bridging the gap of healthcare disparities for well over 25 years. For the past two and a half years, the pandemic has illuminated the myriad of health disparities for minorities. Because of the economic and social landscape of this country it has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and others, that African-Americans with asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes were at a greater risk than other populations for contracting Coronavirus. Furthermore, minorities are more at risk for suffering from more serious complications from Coronavirus.
The Association of American Medical Colleges and others document that about 5 percent of practicing physicians in the U.S. are black. Health Legacy of Cleveland’s mission becomes even more pressing, since the Association of American Medical Colleges data shows that black patients have better outcomes when treated by black doctors.
According to the Cleveland Council of Black Colleges Alumni Association more than 70 percent of African American dentists and physicians earned degrees at HBCUs . Therefore, according to Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun-President/Chairperson of Health Legacy of Cleveland, Ohio Inc. and the Board Members… it is imperative that more funds are raised to provide scholarships and mentoring for student doctors and dentists to bring more of them into the “Cleveland Healthcare Corridors” to better manage the healthcare of minorities.
Board Members and Executive Officers
2023 Board Members
Karen Ashby, MD
Billy Brown, MD
Cordelia G. Harris, PhD
Liz Hilton, Esq
Bessie House-Soremekun, PhD
Andre Mickle, DDS, MSD
Charles Modlin MD
Maposure T. Miller, DDS
Lateef Saffore, PhD
Maurice Soremekun, MD
Giesele Robinson Greene, MD…..Board Member Emeritus
2023 Executive Officers
PRESIDENT/CHAIRPERSON: DR. BESSIE HOUSE SOREMEKUN
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT/CHAIRPERSON: DR. LATEEF SAFFORE
VICE PRESIDENT/VICE CHAIRPERSON: CORDELIA HARRIS, PhD
TRESURER: RODERICK ADAMS JR, DDS
SECRETARY: KAREN ASHBY, MD
LEONICIA BLUE, DMD
BILLY BROWN, MD
SONALI BUSTAMANTE WILSON, ESQ
KENNETH CHANCE, DDS
FRANCIS CURD, DDS
EDWARD HILLS, DDS
LIZ HILTON, ESQ
BESSIE HOUSE-SOREMEKUN, PhD
JAMES H. HOUSTON, DDS
CECELIA HUFFMAN-WHITE
EDGAR B JACKSON JR., ESQ
GUS KIOUS, MD
ANDRE K. MICKEL DDS, MSD
CHARLES MODLIN, MD
MAPOSURE T. MILLER, DDS
CAROL NIXON, MD
KEVIN L. PENN, CPA
MADGE POTTS-WILLIAMS, DDS
LEENA PALOMO, MD
GIESELE ROBINSON GREENE, MD
OSCAR SAFFOLD, MD (FOUNDER)
MAURICE SOREMEKUN, MD
ED WEBBER
JACKSON WRIGHT JR., MD
Spotlight on Three Health Legacy of Cleveland Ohio Doctors
February Monthly Health Target
February Is Heart Month
Health Legacy of Cleveland encourages you to: Be more vigilant than ever about your overall health during the pandemic. Take up heart-healthy habits like staying active by increasing your daily steps (if medically possible). Avoid overeating, which can be challenging for people that find themselves working from home. Eating foods with lower cholesterol and lower sodium are great for your weight loss and also factor into a healthy cardiovascular system. [...]
Or Mail your check to:
Health Legacy of Cleveland
PO Box 201519
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 (enclose email address)