Jennifer Mendez, Ph.D., associate professor, emeritus, Internal Medicine – Geriatrics, has led the award-winning Service Learning program and co-directed the Community Engagement Elective and the Scholarly Concentration on Policy, Advocacy and Community Health for the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

She has extensive experience coordinating academic coursework and has worked more than 10 years to coordinate the Interprofessional Team Visit Program, a collaboration between WSU's medicine, pharmacy, nursing, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy and physician assistant programs that serves older adults in the Detroit area and introduces the students to the demands of assessing older adult health and social needs in a home environment. Developed in 2010 by Dr. Mendez, the program in 2013 won the Michigan Health Council’s Building Michigan’s Health Care Workforce Award for Interprofessional Teamwork Initiative.

Dr. Mendez has presented her research around the world, including at the Association of American Medical Colleges. She is one of the authors of the Toronto Declaration on Bridging Aging and Disabilities.

Her peers from the National Association for Gerontology in Higher Education awarded Dr. Mendez the Hiram J. Friedsam Mentor of the Year Award in 2015. Marquette University selected her in 2023 as one of 10 alumni to represent 100 years of Graduate Education. She received the College of Education 2017 Alumni of the Year Award, and was the 2019 recipient of the Women in Medicine and Science Award, as well as the Distinguished Faculty Award in Internal Medicine.

Growing up in Pakistan, among different ethnic groups, shaped her ability to connect with people from many backgrounds. Dr. Mendez received her doctoral degree from the College of Education at Marquette University in 1986, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration in 1981 from Philippine Christian College, Manila, the Philippines, and two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Karachi.

Dr. Mendez has published numerous articles and presented both locally and internationally. She is most proud of the presentations that included students she has mentored. Her educational programs have been funded by the Bureau of Health Professionals, the Department of Health and Human Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the DMC Foundation.