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Dr. Asha to be honored at 2022 Building Bridges Gala

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Pope Francis Center has decided to honor Senior Landecker Fellow Asha Shajahan with a Zito-Brender Legacy Award for her dedication to helping Detroit’s homeless and vulnerable populations. Adding to her impressive collection of various awards, this accolade is bestowed upon exceptional individuals who share and represent the values of Pope Francis Center in serving and empowering others, specifically in poor and marginalized communities.

Wearing multiple metaphorical coats, Dr. Asha is a primary care physician, as well as the Medical Director of Community Health at Beaumont Hospital, an assistant professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, and the Graduate Medical Education Director of Social Equity and Health Disparities at Beaumont Health.

In addition to her past experience working with marginalized populations, health policy, and her advocacy work to stop the spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19, she also created a Street Medicine Curriculum for Beaumont Health residents, focusing on topics such as minority and refugee health, and drug addiction.

Pope Francis Center, where Dr. Asha volunteers her time treating guests, aims to end chronic homelessness by 2030 in Detroit by providing their guests with access to medical and dental care, legal services, nutritious meals, hot showers, clean clothing, mental health support, employment assistance, and more. The organization values each guest that walks though their doors by treating everyone with respect, dignity, and love.

For more information about the award, read the Pope Francis Center Press Release.

Asha is one of thirty 2020-2021 Landecker Democracy Fellows. This fellowship, a collaboration between the Alfred Landecker Foundation and Humanity in Action, was created to strengthen a new generation of leaders whose approaches to political and social challenges can become catalysts for democratic placemaking and community building. Read more about the fellowship here.