Committee on Minority Faculty Advancement

The Committee on Minority Faculty Advancement is committed to supporting faculty from underrepresented groups in medicine and the biomedical sciences (URGMBS) by addressing the professional advancement needs, advocating and facilitating the dissemination of knowledge and skills, and providing resources necessary to achieve successful advancement of careers in academic medicine at the University of Washington. In addition, this committee will highlight the unique needs of URM faculty to aid in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of URM faculty, to increase the diversity of the medical school faculty.
CMFA Faculty Spotlight – German Gornalusse, PhD
German Gornalusse is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington and an Affiliated Scientist in the Vaccine Infectious Disease Division (VIDD) at Fred Hutch. He is currently working in Dr. Florian’s Hladik lab and is interested in the intersections between HIV-1 infection and latency, opioids use, and…
CMFA Minority Faculty Mentoring Award goes to Dr. Janis Abkowitz
Dr. Janis L. Abkowitz is a recognized leader in hematology, with contributions that extend far beyond her clinical and research achievements. This year, she was honored with the University of Washington’s CMFA Minority Faculty Mentoring Award for her unwavering commitment to mentoring and supporting minority trainees in medicine. Whether guiding students through fellowship applications or…
CMFA Faculty Spotlight – Dr. Abir “Abby” Hussein
Dr. Abir “Abby” Hussein is aClinical Assistant Professor in the division of Allergy & Infectious Disease. She received her MD from the University of Miami and completed Internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado. She completed her fellowship in Allergy & Infectious Diseases as well as her MPH here at UW. She works clinically on the…
Professional Career Advancement Activities
Sponsor CMFA members’ attendance at AAMC minority faculty leadership development seminars; coordination of in-house professional development workshops.
Build Community/Relationships
CMFA holds an annual welcome event in the fall inviting faculty, members of UW Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows, UWSOM student affinity groups, Health Sciences affinity groups and others. CMFA also partners with UWNURF and UWSOM student affinity groups to recognize heritage months;
Personal and Career Care
Encouraging self-advocacy and self-promotion for faculty.
Mentorship and Sponsorship
Actively engage faculty within our system who can serve as mentors to junior and mid-level faculty. Annually recognize a faculty member who has been nominated by their peers for the Minority Faculty Mentoring Award.
