WALTHAM – Dr. Ciersten Burks, an Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery resident physician at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Combined Residency Program, has been awarded the Massachusetts Medical Society’s (MMS) 2023 Underrepresented Physicians of
Tomorrow Award.
The award, established in 2022, recognizes an underrepresented-in-medicine (URM) student or trainee who has demonstrated exemplary advocacy, scholarship, community engagement, and leadership in medicine. The recipient is selected by the Medical Society’s
Minority Affairs Section. The Section’s priorities include the development of policies and initiatives that provide career advancement and leadership opportunities for underrepresented physicians and increases participation and mentorship in the
MMS.
Dr. Burks has been a leader in several programs and initiatives focused on addressing disparities in health care, impacting diversity, equity and inclusion in the surgical workforce and in mentoring underrepresented medical students pursuing otolaryngology.
She is active in the Boston community as a volunteer and organizer of the “Eye, Ear and Eat Free Health Clinic,” which provided head and neck cancer screenings and hearing screenings and other medical services to the underserved population. Dr. Burks,
while a medical student, similarly managed the Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic, which provided free health care to the underserved residents of Indianapolis.
Dr. Burks is a graduate of Indiana University and Indiana University School of Medicine.
The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is the statewide professional association for physicians and medical students, supporting 25,000 members. We are dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians of Massachusetts and patients locally and nationally. A leadership voice in health care, the MMS contributes physician and patient perspectives to influence health-related legislation at the state and federal levels, works in support of public health, provides expert advice on physician practice management, and addresses issues of physician well-being. Under the auspices of the NEJM Group, the MMS extends our mission globally by advancing medical knowledge from research to patient care through the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Catalyst, and the NEJM Journal Watch family of specialty publications, and through our education products for health care professionals: NEJM Knowledge+, NEJM Resident 360, and our accredited and comprehensive continuing medical education programs.
