The fifth annual UC Riverside School of Medicine Celebration of Medical Education Gala returned as an in-person event with nearly 200 community members, staff, faculty and students coming together at the Riverside Convention Center on Nov. 19, 2022.

It was the first in-person gathering since 2019, with the 2020 and 2021 versions being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was so nice to return to an in-person gala," said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, and Mark and Pam Rubin Dean Deborah Deas, M.D., M.P.H. "We are so grateful to everyone who came out to show their support of medical education in Inland Southern California."

Edna Yohannes, the executive director of development at the School of Medicine, said that gala raised in excess of $90,000 that goes toward the Mission Award Scholarship Fund, which provides two- and four-year scholarships to students to cover the cost of their medical education in exchange for a commitment to practice in Inland Southern California for at least two and a half or five years following completion of their residencies.

“It’s very rewarding to see that each year we are expanding our community of supporters for Mission Award Scholarships. For the first time since the pandemic, it was thrilling to host our donors and medical students in person and witness the excitement of fellowship with each other in the room. The Mission Awards Scholarship program has grown exponentially with a total of 151 scholarship recipients thus far since the inception of the medical school almost 10 years ago. We’re grateful for all of our donors’ ongoing support and commitment to expanding medical care in the Inland Empire,” said Edna Yohannes, executive director of development for the School of Medicine. 

Donations to the School of Medicine Mission Award Fund can be made here.

Deas provided an update on newsworthy events in the School of Medicine, including the status of the new School of Medicine Education II building that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023, and the recent news that UCR was ranked 11th in diversity by UC News and World Report and that the Medical Leaders of Tomorrow Program had received the 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award.

"Both these awards are intended to recognize colleges and universities which demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion," Deas said.

Deas acknowledged several benefactors in attendance, including Pam Rubin, who supported three full Mission Award scholarships and with her late husband Mark endowed the dean's position, the Inland Empire Health Plan, under the leadership of CEO Jarrod McNaughton, which supported 23 scholarships annually three years in a row, and Teresa and Byron Pollitt, whose seed match donation of $250,000 has allowed the creation of the first endowed Mission Award Scholarship Fund.

Thanks to our Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors for partnering with us to make the gala a success!

Silver Sponsors

• S. Sue Johnson and William R. Johnson, Jr.
• Dr. Thomas Haider and Mrs. Salma Haider

Bronze Sponsors

• AIDS Healthcare Foundation
• AltaMed
• Vice Chancellor Deborah Deas and Bill Milligan
• Desert Healthcare District and Foundation
• Dr. Mark Glassy and Donna Glassy
• Optum

Friends

• Dr. Freddy Alamshaw and Anita Alamshaw
• Wally Bakare
• Kathy Barton
• Bergstrom Family Trust
• Hensel Phelps
• Kaiser Permanente
• Dr. Emma M. Simmons and Dr. Scott Allen
• Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health and the Center for Healthy Communities

Special Thanks

• Inland Empire Health Plan
• Pam Rubin

Thanks to Our Advertisers

• AIDS Healthcare Foundation
• CO Architects
• Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
• Gless Ranch, Inc.
• Harki Dhillon, M.D.
• Molina Healthcare
• Shahriyar Tavakoli, M.D.
• UC Irvine School of Medicine
• UCR Health