SACRAMENTO — Shagufta Yasmeen, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine, has won the prestigious Award for Diversity and Access to Care from the American College of Physicians, an international organization of internists, who specialize in the prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses in adults. The organization is the largest physician-specialty group in the United States, with chapters in Canada, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Yasmeen is recognized for her work as medical director of the Shifa Community Clinic, a free, student-run clinic that offers medical students clinical training and provides primary care to a diverse population of disadvantaged patients. The clinic delivers culturally and linguistically appropriate care to Middle Eastern and East Indian communities and patients, including those speaking Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali, Fijian and Farsi, as well as the languages spoken in Bosnia and Russia.

"The American College of Physicians award is a great honor," said Faith Fitzgerald, associate dean of Humanities and Bioethics at the UC Davis School of Medicine. "The award not only recognizes Dr. Yasmeen's accomplishments but also celebrates the contributions of undergraduates, medical students, physician volunteers and committed leaders and supporters in the religious, civic and UC Davis communities who give so much so selflessly to offer health services. The Shifa Clinic is an inspiring example of what working together in the shared embrace of commitment to humanity can achieve."

"This is about helping the community deliver the kind of care people need," said Fred Meyers, executive associate dean of the UC Davis Health System. "Dr. Yasmeen and the other volunteers at the Shifa Clinic are integrating cultural considerations into the provision of care. It's patient-centered care at its finest."

Yasmeen also is a researcher with a focus on delivery of primary care to women, cancer screening and disparities in health outcomes among women, particularly among breast cancer patients. She is also a principal investigator in the national Women's Health Initiative study, which has yielded significant information about the most common causes of death among postmenopausal women, including cancer and heart disease. She currently has an American Cancer Society grant to study social factors that affect participation in breast cancer screening.

"I am very proud of Dr. Yasmeen, said Lloyd Smith, chair of obstetrics and gynecology. "She has dedicated so much of her personal time to helping develop this clinic and make it a success. She is a great physician and mentor who has selflessly given over the years to help people."

Yasmeen's medical career began in Kashmir, India, where she earned her medical degree in 1989. After being named a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, she completed an internship at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and residency and fellowship training in internal medicine at UC Davis.

Yasmeen will receive her award at the society's national meeting in San Diego in April 2011.