The honor, made possible by Drexel University’s College of Medicine and the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership, has previously gone to social activist Estelle Richman, entrepreneur Leslie Anne Miller, and Olympic champion Dawn Staley.
“Suzanne Roberts is a wonderful selection for this award,” said the Institute’s Director Lynn Yeakel. “Her career as a versatile actress and television host does not overshadow the remarkable humanitarian work she also has done with people of all ages.
“We were particularly impressed by her commitment to children and adolescents with mental health problems and educational programs on key health issues for senior citizens.”
“Seeking Solutions with Suzanne,” which Roberts hosts, is a daily television program that seeks to help people live fuller, healthier lives. The show appears on CNN’s Headline News Network and an extended weekly version on Comcast Cable.
With a long and successful career as an actress in a wide variety of theatrical productions, she formed the Suzanne F. Roberts Cultural Development Fund which supports over three dozen Philadelphia Theatre and Dance companies.
The April 27 WOMAN ONE program will benefit minority women seeking medical school scholarship support. Fewer and fewer minorities are applying to medical school while healthcare needs in their communities continue to rise. Drexel University College of Medicine will offer scholarships rewarded to talented, minority women that fulfill the requirements including academic excellence, leadership, future potential and contribution as a physician (a commitment to practice in underserved areas will also be considered), and financial need.
“It enables qualified minority women to attend medical school and fulfill their ambition to become doctors,” said Lynn Yeakel. “Many of them, after graduation, plan to practice medicine in areas and neighborhoods where they are most needed.”
About Drexel University College of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine has established some of the most highly innovative and rigorous academic programs available today, incorporating the University’s expertise in engineering and technology into traditional medical training. The College of Medicine has participated in pioneering clinical trials involving the world’s first implantable artificial heart, established one of the largest regional centers for spinal cord research, developed the largest HIV/AIDS primary care practice in the region, and created one of the largest centers for malaria study in the nation. Drexel University College of Medicine has been designated one of 21 Vanguard National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and is highly respected in numerous other specialties including neuroscience, virology and toxicology.