Kirsten Concha-Moore, a second-year student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is the recipient of the UA Native American Student Affairs Outstanding Graduate Service Award. She was honored for her service to the UA Health Sciences, health advocacy for tribal communities and work in health research, education, outreach and recruitment.
A dedicated partner in health professions advocacy, Concha-Moore is an active member of the admissions committee at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. She supports the enrollment of registered members of federally recognized tribes through personal outreach to medical school applicants and provides welcoming experiences during their interview visits to the College with follow-up informational conversations. Affiliated with the Taos Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo tribes, Concha-Moore is active with fellow American Indian medical students, encouraging them to become advocates to expand their representation in the College.
Representing the UA Health Sciences in regional and national professional conferences, including the Association of American Indian Physicians, the Four Corner’s Alliance Pre-Admission Workshop, Becoming the Next Generation of Academic Physicians Program, and the Cross Cultural Medicine Workshop, Concha-Moore serves as an ambassador for the College. She actively serves on the College’s Student Diversity Advisory Committee, providing valuable feedback that helps to guide its activities. She also is the immediate-past-president of the Tucson chapter of the Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) and serves on the ANAMS National Executive Board as its West Coast regional representative. As a medical student she has participated in the Rural Health Professions Program and worked on the Navajo Nation in a tribally operated Indian Health Service hospital in the OB/GYN unit last summer.
She is conducting vascular surgery research at UAHS. Additionally, Concha-Moore is serving on a research advisory board working with the Native American Research and Training Center at the UA and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., evaluating a large-scale obesity-intervention study in American Indian youth. She most recently was accepted in the Post-Sophomore Fellowship with the UA Department of Pathology.
Nationally, she has served at the National Congress of American Indians as a Native Graduate Health Fellow, learning about tribal sovereignty, disparities and tribal health policy.
“Kirsten sets an extraordinary example for anyone working to impact the representation of Native Americans in medicine. She is generous and dedicated, always going one step further to encourage and support Native American students. She is a dedicated partner of diversity and inclusion, all while maintaining strong academic standing in medical school,” said Francisco Moreno, MD, deputy dean for diversity and inclusion, UA College of Medicine – Tucson and assistant vice president for diversity and inclusion at the UA Health Sciences.
Concha-Moore was honored during the April 28 UA Native American Student Affairs awards ceremony. The Office of Native American Student Affairs provides culturally sensitive academic counseling and support services to American Indian/Alaskan Native students, enabling them to achieve academic excellence. They nurture student success by encouraging all students to proactively explore and shape the diverse campus community.