The Miller-Lawrence Medical and Dental Society hosted an elegant affair at The Grand in Long Beach to celebrate their 10th annual Scholarship and Recognition Dinner Saturday evening. The society is comprised of healthcare providers in Compton, South Los Angeles and the South Bay. Their membership includes physicians and dentists in primary care specialties, as well as all other medical and surgical sub-specialties, and providers in academic medicine, military medicine, medical administration and allied health.
Over the past 10 years, the society has awarded in excess of $120,000 to African American medical and dental students. This year’s recipient, Brittany Jones-Linares, is an MD candidate at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Jones-Linares attended Pepperdine University, where she received a bachelor of science degree in biology, and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish language and literature.
Jones-Linares has worked as a surgical assistant and stem cell research co-investigator, and hopes to extend cutting-edge medical research to underserved communities. She plans to work in underserved communities both locally in California and abroad in South America.
Each year the society also honors a medical icon with the Trailblazer Award. This year’s recipient was Rev. Dr. Clyde Oden Jr. Oden has four degrees from the University of California at Berkeley including a Doctorate of Optometry and a masters in public health. He also has earned a masters in business administration (MBA) from Pepperdine University and a masters in divinity from Claremont School of Theology.
Oden served as the Watts Health System’s CEO from 1979 to 2002. He also served as a senior fellow at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Health from 1999-2000 and was enshrined in the Promenade of Prominence in Watts. Oden is currently the senior pastor of Bryant Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Temple is a politically-conscious Church, which engages the spiritual, social, and health concerns of the Crenshaw-area and the greater South Los Angeles community. The church has heath ministries that focus on cancer, wellness programs and HIV/AIDS. The church has also sponsored community health fairs with a particular focus on men and women’s health issues.
Beyond his church-based activities, Oden serves on the board of directors for Community Build Inc. and is co-chair of an advisory committee at the RAND Corporation which is examining health problems and the roles that faith communities can play in reducing health disparities. As a prostate cancer survivor, Oden advocates for prostate cancer screening and education.
For more information on the Miller-Lawrence Medical and Dental Society, contact the organization at (310) 701-1296, www.millerlawrence.org, or millerlawrencemail@gmail.com.
