Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women's Health and Leadership Woman One

Ala Stanford, MD, and Ellen Yin, MBA, Honored With 2023 Woman One Award

2023 Woman One honorees Ellen Yin, MBA, and Ala Stanford, MD

The Lynn Yeakel Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership of Drexel University College of Medicine honored two extraordinary leaders with the 2023 Woman One Award: Ala Stanford, MD, and Ellen Yin, MBA, on Thursday, October 5 at Le Méridien in Philadelphia.

View photos from the event

Ala Stanford, the founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and the Center for Health Equity in North Philadelphia, was honored for her leadership and commitment to eliminating health inequities and bringing care to marginalized people.

Watch Ala Stanford's tribute video

Ellen Yin, recipient of this year's James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurateur Award and founder of the High Street Hospitality Group, was honored for her success as a restaurateur and community leadership.

Watch Ellen Yin's tribute video

For more information about Woman One, please contact Janine Barber at jkb48@drexel.edu.

Honorees, scholars and VIPs at the Woman One Award Ceremony

The Woman One Award and Scholarship Fund annually honors a person of exceptional leadership and raises tuition funds for talented underrepresented students at Drexel University who are committed to practicing medicine in underserved communities and promoting women, and all underrepresented communities, in medicine. Thirty-eight Scholars have received tuition support of almost $3 million since the program began in 2003. Many are currently practicing medicine in underserved communities.



D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship

The Woman One program has created the D. Walter Cohen Shared Leadership Scholarship, which will be awarded in 2021, to honor Dr. Cohen's role in founding Woman One and his commitment to shared leadership among women and men, while also addressing the problem of declining applications from underrepresented men in medicine. Learn more.

2019 Woman One Award Ceremony


Woman One Scholars on the COVID-19 Pandemic Front Lines

We reached out to past Woman One Scholars to hear about how they are helping battle the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Here are three of their stories.

Annette Lopez, MD '08

Assistant Chief, Emergency Department of the Portland VA Medical Center, Portland Oregon
Medical Toxicologist, Oregon Poison Control Center

As the assistant chief of the Emergency Department at the Portland VA in Oregon, I am currently actively working with COVID-19 patients. Unfortunately, our facility had Portland’s first case diagnosed and the first death from the virus. I was personally involved in the care of our second COVID death, which still haunts me since it was so unexpected.

Read more from Annette Lopez

Sharron Manuel, MD, PhD '13

Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas

I am directly working with possible COVID-19 patients or confirmed positive patients as we have started getting positives and a lot of suspected positives on labor and delivery. I still see Ob/Gyn patients in clinic and in hospital when covering labor and delivery, but with many more restrictions and some work from home.

Read more from Sharron Manuel

Ingrid Schmiederer, MD '16

General Surgery Resident, New York Presbyterian Hospital (Queens)
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, General Surgery, Stanford University

Since graduating from Drexel University College of Medicine, I have been completing general surgery residency training in Queens, New York. I took this last academic year off to do a fellowship in educational research at Stanford. But when the pandemic hit and overwhelmed my hospital, I asked my program director if I could come back and help in the ICU.

Read more from Ingrid Schmiederer

Past Woman One Honorees

Since the Woman One program was initiated by the IWHL in 2003, honorees have been:

  • Woman One founder Lynn Yeakel (2022) | Learn more
  • Cultural leader and groundbreaking artist Jeri Lynne Johnson (2020-2021) | Learn more
  • Shared leadership ambassador Eileen McDonnell (2019) | Learn more
  • Trailblazing scientist and community leader Gloria Twine Chisum (2018) | Learn more
  • Women's leadership development advocate Molly Shepard (2017) | Learn more
  • Community leader and innovator Renee Amoore (2016) | Learn more
  • Philanthropist and civic activist Lynne Honickman (2015) | Learn more
  • Founder of the Russell Byers Charter School Laurada Byers (2014) | Learn more
  • Journalist Lisa Thomas-Laury (2013) | Learn more
  • Community leader Dianne Semingson (2012) | Learn more
  • Director of the Women's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor Sara Manzano-Díaz (2011) | Learn more
  • Former first lady of Drexel University Eliana Papadakis (2010)
  • Former president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Jane Pepper (2009)
  • City representative and director of commerce Stephanie Naidoff (2008)
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation president and CEO Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey (2007)
  • Philanthropist and television personality Suzanne Roberts (2006)
  • Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley (2005)
  • Attorney and community leader Leslie Anne Miller (2004)
  • Pennsylvania secretary of public welfare Estelle Richman (2003)

Woman One continues to connect Drexel University College of Medicine to the greater Philadelphia community by engaging businesses and foundations in supporting Drexel's diversity initiatives.


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