One of the priorities of our program is to embrace and celebrate everyone’s uniqueness. It’s not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do. Diversity and Inclusion are the real grounds for problem solving and creativity. Serving a diverse patient population calls for a diverse group of providers and leaders, everyone greatly benefits from an inclusive environment.
We are committed to recruiting and training a diverse group of Women’s Health professionals. We embrace diversity in all its forms, including race, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. We strive to create an inclusive community where all feel welcome and supported.
Ebunoluwa Babalola, M.D.
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Cornita Cannon, M.D.
Dr. Cannon is a first-year resident. She has a passion for reproductive medicine and serving the underserved. She is particularly interested in addressing the injustices and inequalities faced by minorities in the medical field. Equality in medicine to her means providing the best care to every patient regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or cultural differences. She believes that by embracing our differences and providing unbiased care, ultimately, we can become better health care providers and better members of the community.
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Andreina Colina, M.D.
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Allen Ghareeb, M.D.
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Nia Jenkins, M.D.
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Traci Johnson, M.D.
Dr. Johnson is a second year Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow. She has a passion for reproductive justice. The quest for equity in medicine can be summed up in one word: allyship. Author and Equity Leader Sheeree Atchison defines an ally as “any person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive, and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.” She describes allyship as: a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people. We are in the age of an awakening in this country, permeating all disciplines and all walks of life. To not know about this awakening is to have put your head in the sand. People that would have never studied equity, inclusion, justice, and diversity are learning about the tainted history of the past and how their current status is affected by our history. We should always be learning…striving… To achieve a medical culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice, each person in the medical arena needs a place at the table, their voice to be heard. Representation can only be achieved through allyship. Every human can be an ally because privilege is intersectional and fluid. White women can be actionable allies to people of color; men can be allies in support of women. Cis people can join forces with members of the LGBTQI+ community. Able-bodied people can be champions to those with different abilities. Those who worship in various ways can respect each others’ differences. Economically privileged people partner with those who are less resourced. If we all do our part, one to another, we can achieve equity for each of our communities. As John F. Kennedy stated so succinctly, “The rising tide lifts all boats”… |
Megan Madrigal, M.D.
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Pedro Morales, M.D.pedro.morales-ramirez@uhkc.org
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Benjamin Quarshie, M.D.
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Samantha Rios, M.D.
Samantha Rios is a first year resident. She was born and raised in Kansas City, went to Tulane for undergrad, and completed medical school at KUMC. She is proud to be of both Puerto Rican and Chinese descent. Prior to medical school, she spent 6 years working as a mentor and career advisor for first generation and/or underserved youth in the KCK School District. She also served as director of the free women’s health clinic in medical school and has a passion for working with the underserved and uninsured. She was drawn to UMKC the opportunity to continue providing care and connecting with patients, residents and faculty from a variety of backgrounds. |
Shanice Robinson, M.D.
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Dr. Babalola is a fourth year resident. She is originally from Nigeria and moved to Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. What drew her to UMKC was the opportunity to serve such a large under-served community and she hopes to dedicate her career to serving this population.
Dr. Colina is a second year resident. She is originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela. She speaks Spanish, English, and French. Through her various traveling experiences she has developed an immense curiosity for learning about different cultures, languages and human behaviors. Equality in medicine to her means allowing patients, loved ones, and medical professionals the opportunity to share a diverse mixture of cultures, personalities, and beliefs; which fosters a better understanding of those who surround us.
Dr. Ghareeb s a third year resident. He is originally from Lebanon. He speaks Arabic, Spanish, French and English. He has a passion to make change through policy work within women’s health. Simply put, to him, equality in medicine means every patient, every time. It is about providing the care that meets patients where they are. Equality is using my resources and my voice to elevate the voices not often heard.
Dr. Jenkins is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgeon (FPMRS). She attended the University Missouri–Columbia for undergrad. She then attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine to obtain a Master in Public Health with an emphasis in epidemiology and health disparities. During her master’s program she spent significant amount of time with underserved populations. She then went on to obtain her medical degree from the University of Kansas. During her medical school tenure, she was heavily involved in the volunteer medical clinic, mentoring, and President of the SNMA student organization. At graduation she was presented with the distinguished Edward V. Williams award which recognizes outstanding community service, academic achievement, and commitment to enhance diversity in the field of medicine. She completed and her residency in OB/GYN and fellowship in FPMRS at Louisiana State University in New Orleans. She believes that the productivity and success of a society is directly correlated to the health of its people. It is crucial that all members of society have access to equitable care and resources. Importantly, not just access, but a place where they can be seen, heard, included, and understood. I believe that the mission at University Health does just that. It is important for providers to understand the innate, social, and societal dynamics that patients face to provide the best care. She is very excited to be part of a medical community that is inclusive in all forms and develops campaigns and initiatives in support of this. She is passionate about mentoring and increasing opportunities for students of underrepresented communities. Dr. Jenkins recently relocated from New Orleans to serve the women of her native Kansas City.
Dr. Madrigal is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is also the Clerkship Director for the Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship. Dr. Madrigal was born and raised in Kansas City. She went to New York University and graduated cum laude with a degree in History. She completed a post baccalaureate program with The University of Kansas before getting her medical degree from The University of Kansas School of Medicine. She completed her resident training at Christiana Care in Newark, Delaware, and became a faculty member at TMC in August of 2019. Dr. Madrigal is a second generation Mexican-American and the first person in her family to attend medical school. She has a passion for clinical medical education, reproductive rights and healthcare, as well as legislative advocacy. She feels that diversity, equality and inclusion in healthcare is incredibly important and drives her every day to work towards all patients being able to access the care they need, when they need it; regardless of beliefs, ethnicity, background, or socioeconomic status. She believes that embracing diversity, working for equality and advocating for inclusion not only allows for personal growth and development, but also spurs us all to be better healthcare providers for our patients.
Dr. Morales is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the current Residency Program Director. He grew up in Nicaragua where he obtained his medical degree. He moved to Kansas City in 2009 to start his residency training at UMKC. Among other things, he ended up ranking UMKC at the very top of his list because of the very diverse patient population served at all the teaching sites. He believes that this inclusive environment positively influenced his training and shaped the physician he is today. As a faculty member, Dr. Morales has been involved with several of the School of Medicine’s initiatives to support underrepresented minority (URM) students, residents and faculty. He was part of the Students in Medicine, Academia, Research and Training (SMART) program which is a cluster mentoring program that creates community and promotes collaboration among UMKC URM members. He is also a panelist for the URM Faculty Fellows and Scholar Program. As Program Director, Dr. Morales has the goal of increasing the number of trainees from underrepresented minority groups while providing adequate support and mentorship during residency.
Dr. Quarshie is a fourth year resident. He is originally from Accra, Ghana and grew up in Chicago. He speaks English, French and several other languages from his country. He has a strong desire to dedicate his career to serving globally. Equality in medicine to him means that every patient irrespective of his or her color, creed, or financial status is able to obtain the SAME quality of care in any given setting.
Dr. Shanice Robinson is third year resident. She desires to dedicate her career as a reproductive justice advocate to addressing and combating maternal mortality in African American and Hispanic women. She has an immense passion for diversity and equity in medicine given the hardships she has had to face as an Underrepresented minority in medicine. What equality in medicine means to her is ensuring that when providers are caring for patients they make it their duty to address all the complexities that contribute to their overall health. She is involved in Uniting Numerous Medical Trainees for Equity and Diversity (UNITED) and serves as GME chair. She also serves as a resident council member on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at UMKC.