Cheryl Dickson, MD, MPH, associate dean for Community Education and Engagement at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed), was honored in September by El Concilio as a recipient of the 2026 Warrior Hero Award for her continued partnership, dedication, passion, and commitment to the Latinx community.
Dr. Dickson and other award recipients were recognized on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at El Concilio’s Nuestras Raices Gala at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center. The Warrior Hero Award recognizes a community leader who has been involved with El Concilio’s effort to support and create greater opportunities for students and families in Kalamazoo.
"I was very surprised, humbled, and incredibly grateful to the community at El Concilio that they thought of me in that way,” Dr. Dickson said. “It feels good to be seen for the impactful work that we are doing.”
Dr. Dickson’s passion for mentorship and community partnerships is evident through her work to develop the Early Introduction to Health Careers Pathway programs (EIH) at WMed, a multi-pronged initiative that empowers underrepresented elementary, middle and high school students in Southwest Michigan and fuels their dreams of future careers in the biomedical science and healthcare fields.
Additionally, Dr. Dickson has helped lead grant initiatives supporting pediatric outreach and health disparity reduction programs, including a medical student project aimed at providing improved diabetes screenings and education for Spanish immigrants in Southwest Michigan.
The project “Targeted Diabetes Education Intervention for the Hispanic/Latinx Population,” led by M1 Michael Smart with the help of Dr. Dickson, received a Medical Student Service Leadership Project Grant earlier this year from the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
The grant funding, a total of $9,000 over the next two years, will help boost efforts that began in late 2025 when a group of students along with Dr. Dickson began providing monthly health screenings at El Concilio.
As part of the grant application, Dr. Dickson said a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) that two WMed alumni – Cristal Cabrera Colon and Amelia Hensler – helped lead at El Concilio in November 2025 proved incredibly valuable as it showed clients had a high interest in diabetes education and prevention. The grant from the AOA will now help with addressing that need, she said.
“We’ve established a presence at El Concilio and there’s a trust there now with us being there,” Dr. Dickson said. “The new HbA1C machine will help us provide even better care and the new educational materials will be helpful and easy to read. The work is important because there are populations that are vulnerable and marginalized, who have healthcare needs and are not getting enough services.”