David Acosta, MD (left), former Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Washington School of Medicine, received an “Honorary PA” certificate for his many years of dedicated support of the PA profession and the MEDEX program in particular. Terry Scott, Program Director for MEDEX Northwest, presented him with the certificate on June 16, 2013. Dr. Acosta recently accepted a position as Associate Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion with the UC Davis Health System.

Dr. Acosta was a strong advocate for MEDEX during his time with the Office of Minority Affairs at the UW School of Medicine, now called the Center for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. He was always supportive of MEDEX’s efforts to be inclusive, including an open admissions approached that reached minority candidates. He often contributed to diversity education as a lecturer during the didactic phase of MEDEX training, advocating for student exposure to multi-cultural populations.

A family physician, Dr. Acosta completed medical school at the University California, Irvine College of Medicine and his residency training at the Community Hospital of Sonoma County.   He served as medical director at Northeastern Rural Health Clinics in Susanville, CA for 7 years where he provided care for a large underserved, rural and migrant farmworker population.

During his tenure at the University of Washington Dr. Acosta served as the Residency Director of Tacoma Family Medicine, Associate Dean of Multicultural Affairs, and Chief Diversity Officer for the UW School of Medicine. He was a busy man and, despite that, found time to interview prospective students every year.  We at MEDEX Northwest wish him the best!