The first Kwame Firempong Memorial Fellowship presented this fall to Vanessa Nunez (M.D./MBA ’23)

While UCLA continues to mourn the tragic loss last spring of Kwame Firempong, we are proud to honor his memory. Kwame was a truly exceptional joint M.D./MBA student whose deeply held mission was to eliminate health inequities. He is remembered by many as a brilliant, compassionate and impactful leader.

UCLA Anderson was proud to award Kwame his posthumous degree last summer, and we are committed to continuing his legacy.

In his honor, the first Kwame Firempong Memorial Fellowship was presented this fall to Vanessa Nunez (M.D./MBA ’23). Vanessa shares Kwame’s goal to develop sustainable, system-based interventions to eliminate health inequities and to increase access to health services in under-resourced communities. She is passionate about mentorship and medical education, with particular interests in creating anti-racist MedEd content and mentoring students traditionally underrepresented in medicine.

This fellowship was made possible through the dedication of a number of Kwame’s fellow students, who spearheaded a crowdfunding campaign through UCLA Spark. More than 130 donors have contributed to the fellowship thus far, including UCLA Anderson, and the Anderson family matched every dollar raised to bring the fund to $100,000. Our thanks to all those who have contributed, and also to those who continue to remember and honor Kwame through their work and service.