2024 Presidential Awards for Civic Life Recipients
The Presidential Award for Civic Life is the highest recognition for service, leadership, and civic engagement conferred by Tufts University. Each year, Tisch College, in collaboration with partners from across the University, is proud to help select and celebrate outstanding individuals who combined academic achievement with a profound impact on communities near and far, helping to address some of the biggest challenges in our society. This year's recipients from the School of Medicine are Anna K. Daoud and Shantiera Nicole Taylor, learn more about them below.
Anna K. Daoud, MD/MPH, M24
"During the long days and nights, I am incredibly thankful for the relationships that I have built throughout this journey. These relationships span from my family, whose experiences as immigrants shaped my passion for health equity, to my undergraduate professors, who established my sociology and public health-driven frame of reference for medicine, and to my patients, faculty, and peers I met during my time at Tufts. I advise other students, in any profession, to listen to the narratives of their patients, peers, mentors, and faculty as these stories will push you further in diagnosis, care, and strengthening relationships more than any piece of solitary quantitative data. Medicine does not occur in a vacuum. Abortion is healthcare."
Shantiera Nicole Taylor, MD, M24
"Entering medical school, my passion for service was deeply ingrained, fueled by the distressing inequities pervading medical care and affecting patient outcomes. Engaging in enriching civic activities within the Tufts community has been nothing short of illuminating — shedding light on the indispensable role a physician plays when tightly integrated into the community's fabric. Serving as a physician leader within the community is both an honor and a privilege, offering firsthand experience of the challenges patients encounter in accessing quality healthcare — from transportation and housing status to pervasive stigma and bias. This involvement also provides the added benefit of fostering genuine relationships with individuals, which in turn aids in decreasing distrust within the medical system.
These experiences have provided profound insights into tailoring healthcare delivery, advocating for better dissemination of healthcare services, and fostering trust within the healthcare system. Each civic engagement has been a catalyst for personal growth, teaching me to personalize care according to individual needs and to prioritize empathetic listening without judgment to achieve patient-centered outcomes.
As I embark on my surgical residency, I am unwavering in my commitment to serve as a physician leader within the community. My goal is to deepen my understanding of the community's needs and to strive for continual improvement in healthcare delivery. Through continued engagement and dedication, I aim to contribute to the provision of equitable and high-quality healthcare for all."