The IU LGBTQ+ Alumni Association will present their highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, during the 16th annual Celebration Weekend Distinguished Alumni brunch Saturday, March 23, held on the IUPUI campus.

“I am thrilled and honored that Dr. Juan Carlos Venis has accepted the IU LGBTQ+ Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award. His remarkable contributions to society, exemplified by his dedication to education, social justice advocacy, and passionate commitment to reducing health disparities, make him a truly deserving recipient and role model for the LGBTQ+ community.” Said Sarah Perfetti, MPA’11 president of the IU LGBTQ+AA.

The purpose of the LGBTQ+AA Distinguished Alumni Award is to recognize outstanding achievement by lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender (“LGBT”) alumni of Indiana University. The award is also available to individual allies or supporters of the IU LGBTQ+ community, regardless of sexual orientation.

Only living alumni of Indiana University are eligible. Alumni are degree holders of any campus of Indiana University. Nominees shall have been outstanding in their field of endeavor and shall have made significant contributions benefiting Indiana University or their community, state or nation. Nominees whose endeavors support the LGBTQIA+ community will be given particular consideration.

“This year’s award committee considered 7 very strong candidates for the Distinguished Alumni Award,” said Tom Sedgwick, BS’86 director at large for the LGBTQ+AA. “Ultimately, we were all very impressed by the nomination of Dr. Venis – he is doing so much to benefit the LGBTQ+ community. His focus on health care equity improves lives globally and we are very proud to count him as an IU alumnus. I’d like to thank Cindy Stone, Bruce Smail, Tiffany Quash and Alenna Zweiback for their dedicated efforts in reviewing nominations and selecting a truly inspiring recipient.”

Juan Carlos Venis, MD, MPH, FAAFP is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. He practices primary care at Damien Center, a local community health center in Indianapolis, IN. His clinical practice includes general primary care, HIV treatment and prevention, and LGBTQ+ inclusive care.

Outside of clinic, he teaches medical students in Foundations of Clinical Practice, is involved in curriculum projects within the Department of Family Medicine, and leads an advanced clinical elective in LGBTQ+ Primary Care. He has been instrumental to helping develop the LGBTQ+ Health Track for family medicine residents at the IU Indianapolis program. He is passionate about the inclusion of LGBTQ+ health topics in both undergraduate and graduate medical education.

Originally from Central Indiana, Dr. Venis attended Wabash College and IU School of Medicine. He completed his master’s degree in public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and his residency training at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IN. He is fluent in both Spanish and English.

For fun and in his free time, Dr. Venis enjoys time with his husband and their dogs as well as spending time with their family and friends. He is enthusiastic about staying active, playing rec sports, trying new foods, and traveling.

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