The 2023 ARP Merit Awards

Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award

The 2023 Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award, recognizing an ARP member who has provided extraordinary service in advocating for patients with arthritis and rheumatic diseases or for health professionals in rheumatology, was presented to Jillian Rose-Smith, PhD, MPH, LCSW, vice president and chief health equity officer at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York.

“I am blessed to be in a position to help others achieve optimal health as they grapple with the unpredictability of illnesses that often leads to a lot of loss and devastation. To be recognized for work that is in line with my purpose and passion is truly humbling,” says Dr. Rose-Smith.

Dr. Rose-Smith is an innovative, multi-modal thought leader working from a professional public health and social work perspective of case to cause to understand and address inequalities in healthcare through enhanced access to care and educational interventions that lead to patient partnerships and improved health outcomes. She is responsible for leading the execution of a comprehensive strategy to advance health equity through a whole health approach, in line with the hospital’s mission to provide access to all and its commitment to reducing disparities in care for patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

As a leader in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office at HSS, Dr. Rose-Smith seeks to leverage her skills in engaging leadership, staff, patients and communities in meaningful conversations to help orchestrate and unify efforts across the organization to foster the development, implementation and integration of diversity, equity and inclusion practice.

Dr. Rose-Smith develops and implements hospital-wide and external training on working with multicultural populations and fostering an inclusive environment for diverse communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. Driven by her passion for health equity, Dr. Rose-Smith continues to break ground organizationally and nationally by providing ongoing leadership and support for the collection of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and preferred language data in the electronic medical record. Dr. Rose-Smith has taken the lead in creating an infrastructure that allows clinicians and others to use these data to inform and enhance care decisions. She provides training for the healthcare team and all new employees related to implicit bias and cultural awareness.

Dr. Rose-Smith provides operational leadership for the HSS Ambulatory Care Center and the Department of Social Work programs. Since 2005, Dr. Rose-Smith has had oversight over Charla de Lupus (Lupus Chat) and LupusLine, nationally recognized peer support and psychological education programs for people with lupus and their families. Her team reaches out to diverse populations to provide culturally tailored interventions.