The Dr. Kerry English MLK Jr. Outpatient Center Creative Fellowship was established in 2020 to honor the late doctor’s legacy and dedication to both the arts and youth in foster care. The program is being underwritten by his widow Olga Garay-English for the first five years, and at least two artists and two fellows are funded for an eight-month residency per year.
“Kerry dedicated nearly half a century to serving abused and foster children in South LA. He spent nearly as much time as an avid arts supporter. The Dr. Kerry English Creative Fellowship in association with Heidi Duckler Dance FOSTER UP program marries his two great passions: helping foster youth and the arts. It is a privilege to establish this Fellowship to honor such a compassionate and giving human being.”
– Olga Garay-English
The Dr. Kerry English Creative Fellowship is an 8-month program designed specifically for young adults who have been through the foster care system and are interested in the arts. Individuals accepted into the program will be matched with an artist in their creative field of interest, who will guide the fellow in their artistic pursuits. Fellows have the opportunity to develop and grow their artistic talents, meet other artists, explore their artistic interests, and showcase their work over the course of the fellowship. Past fellows have been interested in film, music, fashion, dance, writing, animation, and visual art. Read 2022 fellow Chyenne Roan-Santini’s reflection on her final showcase here!
If you are interested in learning more about the fellowship, please contact Raven Richard, HDD’s Director of Development and Communications at raven@heididuckler.org.
About Dr. English:
Dr. Kerry English, pediatrician, long time director of the pediatric division at Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center and a board member for several nonprofit family and child support organizations, was also a well-known Los Angeles theatre and arts aficionado. English was committed to caring for children and engaging with diverse communities throughout his life. His long-term relationships testify to his belief in diversity and inclusion. Raised in Southern California, Kerry spent his life as a mainstay for the medical and theatre/arts communities of Los Angeles. Throughout his life and career as a pediatrician and teacher, Kerry worked with and supported diverse and disadvantaged communities. He was medical director of the MLK Outpatient Center Foster Care HUB Clinic in Watts, director of the Child Development Division of the Pediatric Department of Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the Pediatric Department of the King/Drew Medical Center, where he worked for over 40 years.
He taught at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, as well as his medical alma mater UCLA. He did fellowships at Yale Child Study Center and King’s College London. His undergraduate studies were at Washington University in St. Louis. Kerry served on the board and as chair of Drew Child Development Corporation, an organization dedicated to the education and wellbeing of at- risk children; and on the boards of El Nido Family Centers, an agency that provides support services to disadvantaged communities; and SHIELDS for Families, serving high-risk families in South Los Angeles.
