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Ala Stanford

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Ala Stanford
Stanford in 2021
NationalityAmerican
EducationPennsylvania State University (MD)
Years active2006–present
Medical career
ProfessionPediatric surgery

Ala Stanford is an American pediatric surgeon. She is the founder of R.E.A.L. Concierge Medicine and the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. She is also the first African-American female pediatric surgeon to be trained entirely in the United States. In 2024, Stanford joined the University of Pennsylvania as a Professor of Practice in the Department of Biology, and as Director of Community Outreach for research activities in the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation.

Early life and education

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Stanford was born in Germantown, Philadelphia to a teenage mother. A few years later, her father went off to college while her mother worked, leaving Stanford in charge of her younger brother.[1] Following high school, Stanford enrolled at Pennsylvania State University for her undergraduate degree and medical degree. Upon graduating from the Penn State University College of Medicine, Stanford finished her residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.[2] Stanford subsequently became the first African-American female pediatric surgeon to be trained entirely in the United States.[3]

Career

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Following her fellowship at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Stanford joined the faculty at Temple University in September 2006. A year later, she was promoted to director of the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities at Temple University School of Medicine.[3] In this role, Stanford partnered with Allegheny West Foundation to improve the quality of life for area residents.[4] As a result of her efforts, Stanford was recognized with the Shirley Chisholm Award from the Philadelphia Congress of the National Congress of Black Women.[5] She eventually left Temple University to become the director of pediatric surgery at Abington Memorial Hospital. While there, she completed life-saving surgery on a baby from Haiti.[6] Through her hospital connections, Stanford also established Stanford Pediatric Surgery, LLC, It Takes Philly. Inc, and R.E.A.L Concierge Medicine.[7]

During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford recognized racism in medicine amongst the distribution of vaccines. As such, she left her role as a pediatric surgeon to work full time to address health disparities in Black communities during the pandemic. This led to the establishment of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (BDCC), which combined a group of around 200 healthcare professionals.[8] By February 2021, Stanford and the BDCC had vaccinated nearly 4,000 people of marginalized areas.[9] She was also recruited by Philadelphia sports teams, such as the Philadelphia Flyers, to encourage fans to get vaccinated.[10] As a result of her efforts, she was recognized by Forbes magazine as a woman over the age of 50 who was changing the world.[9] Stanford was also named one of Fortune Magazine's 50 Greatest Leaders[11] and recognized by CNN as a Top 10 hero.[12][13]

In October 2021, Stanford opened the Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity to offer primary care and behavioral health services to adults and children in North Philadelphia.[14] Later that month, she also removed her name from consideration to be Philadelphia's next health commissioner.[15] In 2024, Stanford joined the University of Pennsylvania as a Professor of Practice in the Department of Biology, and as Director of Community Outreach for research activities in the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation.[16] She was also the recipient of an honorary degree from Haverford College.[17]

Awards and honors

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  • 2024: Honorary Degree from Haverford College
  • The Shirley Chisholm Award from the Philadelphia Congress of the National Congress of Black Women in 2018[5]
  • The Philadelphia Award in 2021[18][19]
  • The Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award in 2021 for her work fighting COVID-19[20]
  • The 2021 Dare to Understand award[21]
  • USA Today's Women of the Year for 2022[22]
  • Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2021[12]

Personal life

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Stanford married Byron Drayton on March 30, 2020.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Palmer, Seth (March 9, 2021). "Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Ala Stanford". Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Ala Stanford, MD". Abington Health. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Accomplished pediatric surgeon Ala Stanford Frey to head Temple's Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities". Temple University. August 6, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Community outreach starts with youth". Temple University. November 5, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "April 18, 2008". Temple University. April 18, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Haitian toddler to get care at Abington Memorial". ABC 7. July 19, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Mitchell, John N. (October 7, 2017). "Historic surgeon opens Abington practice". Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Lopez-Lloreda, Claudia (April 23, 2021). "Meet the Black Physicians Bringing Covid Vaccines to Hard-Hit Philadelphia Communities". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  9. ^ a b McGrath, Maggie (February 26, 2021). "Dr. Ala Stanford And The Women Who, Ages 50 And Over, Are Leading The Fight Against Covid". Forbes. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "All Flyers players, staff to be fully vaccinated before start of season". ABC 6. September 15, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  11. ^ "Dr. Ala Stanford". Fortune. 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Toner, Kathleen (June 24, 2021). "This CNN Hero is fighting to save lives in Philadelphia's communities of color through Covid-19 vaccination and testing". CNN. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Berkery, Patrick (November 24, 2021). "Doctor Recognized for Leading the Charge to Fight COVID in Philadelphia's Underserved Neighborhoods". Keystone News. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  14. ^ Feldman, Nina (October 27, 2021). "The Black Doctors Consortium's primary care clinic in North Philly is now open". PBS. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  15. ^ "Dr. Ala Stanford no longer vying to be Philly's next health commissioner, citing potential conflict". PBS. October 31, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  16. ^ "Ala Stanford, National Leader in Health Equity, Joins Penn". University of Pennsylvania. June 24, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  17. ^ Mercier, Dominic (April 10, 2024). "Haverford Announces 2024 Honorary Degree Recipients". Haverford College. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  18. ^ "Dr. Ala Stanford – The Philadelphia Award". The Philadelphia Award. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Tilitei, Leanna (August 12, 2021). "Comcast's Brian Roberts and Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium's Dr. Ala Stanford to receive Philadelphia Award". Philadelphia Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  20. ^ Murphy, Darryl (January 6, 2021). "'Real hero': Dr. Ala Stanford wins award named for late U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford". WHYY. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "Dr. Ala Stanford, 2021 Dare to Understand Award Recipient". globalphiladelphia.org. Global Philadelphia. May 26, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  22. ^ "Meet USA TODAY's Women of the Year". USA Today. March 28, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  23. ^ Patrick Gates, Kellie (April 23, 2019). "Philadelphia weddings: Ala Stanford and Byron Drayton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
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