Dr. Cuong Pham, a board-certified addiction medicine specialist who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam, is known for his commitment to mentorship and DEI work. In 2017, Pham co-founded Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity (MDHEQ), a St. Paul-based nonprofit coalition of health professionals highlighting the root causes of inequity, such as poverty and limited health care access. The organization works with patients, health systems, communities, and stakeholders to address these issues, and it helped state governments and medical systems recognize racism as a public health crisis, paving the way for more resources to aid marginalized communities. A physician at the Community-University Health Care Center in Bloomington, it’s Pham’s mission to sustain MDHEQ through fundraising and mentorship, working tirelessly to lift the next generation of health equity champions.