The Ravin Davidoff Executive Fellowship in Health Equity provides physicians who have recently completed residency or fellowship at Boston Medical Center (BMC) with the opportunity to deepen their administrative knowledge and engage in focused equity projects.
The goal of the fellowship is to train the next generation of health system leaders in health equity, with a particular focus on addressing racial health inequities through implementing and adjusting healthcare programs.
Program Overview
Over a two-year fellowship, fellows work alongside mentors to identify and reduce health inequities within a BMC Health Equity Accelerator target area. During this time, they participate in a mix of project design and implementation, health equity learning and teaching, mentorship, leadership development, and non-degree public health coursework.
Fellows are also full faculty within their specialty, typically working 25–30 percent time clinically, and are paid as faculty.
Professional Support and Mentorship
Fellowship directors provide weekly meetings, personalized education, and close mentoring to both of the fellows. Fellows receive close support from directors in the Health Equity Accelerator around their equity projects and learn in community with a range of other equity-oriented trainees from across the institution.
The fellowship has further support from BMC leaders who meet regularly with the fellows, provide coaching around development as leaders, and assist with any challenges in project implementation.
Program History
Named for BMC’s former Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Ravin Davidoff, MBBCh, the fellowship honors Davidoff’s commitment to health equity during his tenure. As a South African, Davidoff attended medical school in Johannesburg during the apartheid era before joining Boston City Hospital in the early 1980s as a resident. At Boston City Hospital, which later merged with University Hospital to create BMC, Davidoff observed a new approach to medicine grounded in addressing social determinants of health.
“Boston City Hospital was quite the opposite of my experience in South Africa. It was very refreshing to me that I was working in a place that was driven to provide exceptional care for all,” he says. “I am deeply appreciative of the Board establishing this fellowship to educate the next generation and perpetuate transformation in a meaningful way.”
Fellowship Team
Directors
Senior Advisors
Current Fellows
Alejandro Aviña-Cadena, MD, MPH
Emergency Medicine Resident Physician (PGY4)
Alejandro Aviña-Cadena, MD, MPH, is an emergency medicine physician pursuing his residency at Boston Medical Center (BMC).
Dr. Aviña-Cadena earned his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine, where he also completed a master’s in public health degree program with a focus on Sociocultural Diversity and Health.
In addition to his work in the emergency medicine department, Dr. Aviña-Cadena will serve as the 2026–2028 Ravin Davidoff Physician Executive Fellow in Health Equity at BMC.
Residency:
Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2022–2026
Education:
MD, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, 2022
MPH (Sociocultural Diversity and Health), UC Irvine, 2021
Address:
800 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
Phone: 617.414.4929
Fellowship Alumni
Current and Past Fellows by Year
- Monica Germain, 2022–2024 nursing fellow
Example fellowship project: BMC Nursing DEI Council - Anthony J. Mell, 2022–2024 physician fellow
Example fellowship project: Leadership in Equity and Advocacy Curriculum - Salah K. Abdelgadir, 2023–2025 physician fellow
- Alaina D. Geary, 2024–2026 physician fellow
- Sabetta Singh, 2025–2027 physician fellow
- Alejandro Aviña-Cadena, incoming 2026–2028 physician fellow
Apply to Be a Health Equity Fellow
The Davidoff Fellowship welcomes one fellow every year and their term overlaps with previous and subsequent fellows.
Current residents or fellows at BMC are eligible to apply; applications are sought a year and half before graduation, so those graduating in summer 2027 should apply in early 2026. Candidates should:
- Complete residency or fellowship in June of 2027
- Have a strong background or experience in health equity, including coursework, implementation, and/or research
For more information about applying, please contact Program Director James C. Hudspeth, MD, FACP.