Valerie E Stone

What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM?
When I was in college, I became passionately concerned about disparities in health care, after my grandmother died as a results of cancer that was diagnosed much too late. I remain motivated every day by the desire to help ensure that every patients from every community has access to high quality health care. I believe that health equity is the defining health care issue of my generation, and the extent to which contribute to this goal is how measure my success.

In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community?
As a faculty member, I have made a difference in the careers of medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty through my teaching, mentorship, and my very presence as an African American woman faculty member. In addition, I have shared my passionate commitment to providing outstanding primary care and HIV/AIDS care with every trainee, and have thereby influenced many students and residents to follow me into these critically important fields. 

What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot?
I brought my white coat, because it defines who I am - a doctor, first and foremost. Even now as Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital, despite all of the myriad tasks on my plate, I continue to take care of patients and teach clinical medicine. I greatly enjoy and value contributing to patients' health and residents' and students' medical education; I know that I will continue my "doctoring" for the rest of my career.