Section on Early Career Physicians Health Equity Grants

Program Overview

The goal of the Section on Early Career Physicians (SOECP) Health Equity Grant Program is to support our early career physicians, especially those who are underrepresented in medicine, as they conduct research, interventions, and education that address antiracism and health equity in communities and institutions. Creative ideas are welcome, and some project examples include:

• Community approaches that target health disparities
• Institutional approaches to improve diversity in medicine
• Local gatherings that showcase careers in medicine for youth in underserved areas (similar to the Black Men in White Coats work)
• District-wide educational forum on antiracism

2026 Recipients

Nimrah Baig, MD, FAAP – District III | Application of a Novel Machine-Learning Measure of Illness Severity to Investigate Impacts of Social Risk Factors on Illness Trajectories Among Hospitalized Children

Cassie Grimsley Ackerley, MD, MSc, FAAP – District I | Support for Informed Infant Feeding: A Multi-disciplinary Educational Approach to Promote Infant Feeding Options for Birth Parents Living with HIV

Danielle Gonzales, MD, (Team: Melissa Carbajal, MD, FAAP; Shweta Parmekar, MD, FAAP) – District VII | When humanity meets medicine: A novel educational curriculum focused on human-centered connection and culturally responsive care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for NICU fellows

Carolina Gutierrez, MD, MPH, FAAP (Team: Julie Venci, MD, FAAP; Helena Villalobos, MD, FAAP; Theresa Asuquo, MD)  – District VIII| Addressing Health Inequities through Collaboration & Community: An Integrated Wellness Model for Youth in Southwest Denver

Jocelyn McGill, MD, FAAP (Team: Sasha Alvarado, MD; Vibha Szafron, MD, FAAP) – District VII | Implementing a Stock Albuterol Pilot Program in Underserved Texas Schools

Hannibal Person, MD, FAAP – (Team: Emily Beckmann, PhD; Christine Batten, PA-C, MS, RD) District VIII |Bridging the Gap: Access to Gastroenterology Sub-Specialty Care Among Black Families Managing Pediatric Chronic Abdominal Pain

Amy Pham, DO, FAAP – District VI | Golden Beginnings: Advancing Equitable Lactation Support for Families

Kayla Phelps, MD, MPH, FAAP – (Team: Shannon Palumbo, MD; Beth McDonough, MD; Margot Anderson, MD; Fabienne Gray, MD) District VII | It Takes a Village, Support the Village: Caregiver Hunger Quality Improvement

Kelsey Schweiberger, MD, MS, FAAP – (Team: Maya Ragavan, MD, MPH, FAAP; Izzy Bowser) District III | CONNECT Peds— Community Organization Network for Navigating Engagement, Care, and Trust in Pediatrics