LACE Program Coordinator Patricia Walker was honored as the quarterly UCR School of Medicine's Values in Action Award recipient at the Dean's Town Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.

The Values in Action Awards (VIAA) recognize faculty or staff members, students, or community-based teaching faculty members who, as nominated by their peers, best exemplify the values of the UCR School of Medicine – Inclusion, Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Accountability and Respect.

Walker was saluted for her efforts in the areas of innovation, accountability, and inclusion.

Innovation - Walker has demonstrated very creative and innovative ways to improve the student learning experience and is always willing to share those ideas with others while considering multiple perspectives.

Accountability – Walker is extremely well-organized and manages to keep everything running as smoothly as possible; this was evident during the disruptions from COVID19, which significantly impacted multiple LACE sites.  

Inclusion – In recruiting preceptors and assigning students, Walker takes great care to align shared values and identify potential areas that may exacerbate underlying learning inequities. She is a strong advocate in this regard, and will always seek to find innovative and thoughtful solutions to promote equity amongst all our students (and preceptors).

“The most impressive aspect is that Patty manages to maintain this high standard while coordinating clerkships, coursework, deadlines, assignments, and professionalism concerns for three entire classes per year," said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Mark and Pam Rubin Dean Deborah Deas M.D., M.P.H. during the ceremony.

"Thank you so much. It's been an honor to work with everyone. I am really proud to be part of this team and to collaborate with our community partners," Walker said.