Making a profound impact: Sentara leaders honored with humanitarian award

“Yes, mom!” exclaimed Tasciana Lundy, breaking the silence of the crowd and filling the room with laughter.

Her mother, Iris Lundy, vice president of health equity at Sentara Health, stood at the podium, ready to give her acceptance speech at the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) 60^th annual Humanitarian Awards.

“As my kids would say, ‘Somebody get the receipts,” laughed Lundy in response to her daughter’s show of support. 

To “show the receipts” is to bring proof to the table and support whatever it is you’re saying with factual evidence, according to Lundy.

Both Lundy and Gwendolyn Williams, M.D., a hospitalist at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Va., have plenty of receipts to show the positive impact they have had on their communities. This was made evident by the fact that they received the VCIC’s Humanitarian Award for the Tidewater and Peninsula regions of Virginia, respectively.

Through workshops, retreats, and customized programs, VCIC develops leaders who work together to improve academic achievement, increase workplace productivity, and enhance local trust throughout Virginia.

One Virgina school division saw a 45% decrease in suspensions over a five-year-period after teams of educators in every school were trained by VCIC.

Each year VCIC presents a Humanitarian Award to individuals who have demonstrated a personal commitment to the promotion of respect and understanding among people of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. 

Iris Lundy (left), vice president of health equity at Sentara, and Dr. Gwendolyn Williams (right), hospitalist at Sentara CarePlex Hospital, receive the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Award.

“To me, community service has always been about connecting hearts, bridging divides, and nurturing a world where compassion leads the way,” said Lundy. “It’s about the small acts that sew the fabric of our community tighter, the helping hands that uplift those in need, and the unwavering belief in the power of collective action.”

Lundy and the Sentara health equity team work to identify existing barriers, be they financial, environmental, physical, or mental, which prevent people from living their best and healthiest lives.

During the pandemic, they knew they needed to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine and target young people and those experiencing homelessness, so they set up vaccine clinics in trailer parks, public housing, beaches, museums, and houses of faith.

Lundy (right) helps provide COVID-19 vaccines during a community clinic hosted by Sentara. In March 2021, Sentara had administered more than 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines to the community.

“We have the opportunity to really impact someone’s quality of life and maybe quantity of life if we work with them to find out what’s going on,” said Lundy.

Lundy is also committed to advancing health equity through numerous boards and affiliations, including the Norfolk Mayor’s Task Force, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Black Nurses Association, and American Public Health Association’s Caucus on Public Health in the Faith Community.

“I want to congratulate Dr. Williams on being honored as a humanitarian,” said Lundy. “Her dedication to providing compassionate care is seen and felt by her patients and those of us who have the pleasure of working with her.”

Like Lundy, Dr. Williams is committed to advocating for health equity for marginalized and historically disadvantaged groups as it relates to both patients and healthcare providers.

“My parents represent the everyday humanitarian heroes,” said Dr. Williams. “They taught me it is a privilege and a responsibility to be able to extend a helping hand to those in need, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to make a positive difference in the world.”

Sentara executives and colleagues from Sentara CarePlex Hospital come together to celebrate Dr. Williams (center) and the positive impact she has had on her community.

In 2022, Dr. Williams became the first female president of both the Sentara CarePlex Hospital Medical Executive Committee and the Society of Hospital Medicine-Hampton Roads Chapter. She uses her perspective as a woman, a person of color, a first-generation American, and her humble impoverished beginnings as strengths to bring a diversity of lived authentic experiences to her initiatives and interactions with her peers and leadership.

Dr. Williams, hospitalist and immediate past president of the Sentara CarePlex Medical Executive Committee, stands alongside the Hampton Police Department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I feel it’s essential to continue advocating for social equity and to support women and persons from historically underrepresented groups pursuing medical careers,” said Williams. “By doing so, we will create the space to ensure that everyone in medicine will have equal opportunities to succeed as they continue to make vital contributions to the health and well-being of our diverse communities.”

In January 2024, Dr. Williams and seven of her colleagues spoke to Christopher Newport University’s Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) chapter for a panel discussion on increasing diversity in healthcare careers. More than 100 students got to ask tough questions and hear authentic stories from the Sentara team.

Dr. Williams (bottom left) joins other medical professionals from Sentara CarePlex Hospital at Christopher Newport University for a panel discussion on increasing diversity in healthcare careers.

"This award is a testament to the incredible resilience and strength of the human spirit. It is a reminder that even in the face of adversity, we have the capacity to come together, support one another, and create positive change,” said Dr. Williams. “It highlights the power of compassionate allyship and the meaningful impact that occurs when we mindfully build bridges and create spaces where everyone can thrive, where all people are valued, empowered, and celebrated for the intersectionality of their authentic lived experiences.”

To learn more about VCIC and how you can have a direct impact on your community, click here. To learn more about Sentara’s impact in the community, click here.