Ann Arbor – Tony Denton, J.D., M.H.A., senior vice president and chief environment, social and governance officer at University of Michigan Health, was recently recognized as a 2023 Diversity Leader to Watch by Modern Healthcare.

This year’s honorees have all taken tangible actions to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within their respective organizations across the health care industry.

Specifically, Denton was chosen for his resounding commitment towards promoting health equity, protecting the health and quality of life for older adults, developing future health care leaders through diversifying the pipeline, providing resources for homeless youth and initiating Michigan Medicine’s Million Meal Mission.

“I am humbled to receive this individual recognition but would like to call out our entire Michigan Medicine team for their continuous pursuit of a community culture that is diverse, equitable, inclusive and just,” he said.

“This award validates our commitment to serve others while being meaningfully present in all our communities. It also further inspires us to continue creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment for every single patient, visitor, student and employee who walks through our doors.”

Denton is the executive sponsor for Michigan Medicine’s state-of-the-art mobile mammography unit for breast cancer screening, which provides unique screening opportunities for individuals in underserved communities.

He is also the executive sponsor for an approved $35 million investment in Ypsilanti to relocate and expand an existing primary care center to include specialty care, diagnostic imaging and community support services. He spearheaded this initiative to increase access to community members who rely on public transportation.

According to Denton, these collective investments in expansion will ultimately lead to new employment opportunities, with an aim for local and diverse hiring.

In addition, Denton serves on various local, state and national health care boards which include health equity improvement and disparity reduction as major priorities.

He has been co-chair of U-M’s United Way Campaign for eight of the last nine years, where he regularly advocates for funding to address the needs of local individuals and families that seek financial and/or social program assistance.

Throughout his career, Denton has been an advocate for food security and has served as a board member for Food Gatherers, a local food bank and rescue organization in Washtenaw County.

Currently, he is collaborating with other leaders to develop a new environmental, social and governance, or ESG, committee for the U-M Health board, which is charged with overseeing and guiding efforts to demonstrate environmental sustainability and monitoring initiatives to address various social determinants of health, including health equity and justice. 

More information on Modern Healthcare’s 2023 Top Diversity Leaders is available here.