Kristine McVea, M.D., MPH, has dedicated her work as a physician and public health educator to help those most underserved by health care in America - the uninsured, the working poor, the homeless, minorities and immigrants -- many of whom don't speak English.

Since she became medical director of OneWorld Community Health Center (formerly the Indian-Chicano Health Center) in 1997, Dr. McVea has treated thousands of patients as a doctor of internal medicine and pediatrics. She is known for her tireless follow-up to be sure patients get quality medical care. Each year, OneWorld serves more than 8,000 patients, in more than 27,000 personal contacts.

Dr. McVea is associate professor in UNMC's Department of Family Medicine where she is very involved in cross-cultural training of health professional students. Dr. McVea helped establish an "urban underserved and international health" training track for family medicine residents. Its purpose is to attract bi-lingual physicians to the community and involve them in practice with the medically underserved. She also teaches medical students how to work with interpreters and understand the complexities of cross-cultural care. A variety of health professional students rotate through OneWorld to learn first hand about cross-cultural health issues.