Miné
Miné…a child of the World.
Which Albuquerque thrift store has a personal stylist who can help you look great by choosing outfits to lift your spirits and confidence? It’s the Assistance League of Albuquerque’s Shop on the Corner. Each Monday, a newsletter highlighting the sales and featured items for the week is sent out to the public. At the end of each newsletter is a section titled Styles by Miné. Her topics range from creating displays to appropriate dress when visiting Africa on safari. The article that most sparked my curiosity included a photo of herself with the Governor of Maryland before she left for a medical mission in Kuwait. I had to know more. When I sat down with Miné I knew it would be interesting but was unaware of how fascinating the experience would be. Miné began her career in Interior and Fashion Design, after briefly modeling in Milan, Italy.
In the U.S., while successfully pursuing her design work, she was also volunteering in hospitals and crisis centers in the community. She says her life has been serendipitous. Each moment led to another more rich and challenging opportunity. A suggestion from a university president to take courses in the field of Psychology led her back to school, and fifteen years of studies earned her a Doctorate. When she first walked into the Johns Hopkins Hospital and looked at her surroundings, she said she was “lifted”. This is where she began her career as an intern, she was then hired, and spent the bulk of her career at this world-renowned hospital, where she counseled patients, managed more than four hundred volunteers and enhanced Johns Hopkins’s reputation by directing the International Patient Affairs Department. Miné successfully and collegially served multicultural populations to improve their health. She worked with heads of state, the White House, tribal and government officials, as well as the world’s most indigent and needy populations.
Miné is fearless and confident and speaks directly with people. She traveled with an international group of doctors to the war zones of Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Panama. It was not unusual for her to have lunch with an ambassador in Italy, then dinner with a royal family member in the Middle East. She is passionate about diversity (her professional platform) and service to others, which she still pursues, and has trained medical personnel on this. Because she is a child of diplomats, growing up in many countries and among many cultures, she is a storyteller and a child of the world.
During this time, she consulted with the School of Public Health’s new office: The Center for Native American and Alaskan Native Health, which inspired her to research Indian Health, and spirituality. After studying with many tribal teachers and learning the historical treaties from a Native American lawyer, she began visiting the Southwest. Like many of us, she fell in love with New Mexico.
During one of those trips, serendipity was to make another appearance. She remembers clearly that it was a snowy day, and dressed in her chili pepper red coat, she decided to take a walk around the University of New Mexico. While wondering at the beauty of the campus, she came upon a man dressed like a cowboy. He asked her if she was needing help finding anything. She replied she was visiting, collecting data, and just marveling at the sceneries. After a brief exchange of shared professional interests, the man, who happened to be a Department Chair for the Community Health Programs, gave her information about multicultural health courses in his department. After asking about her research and studies, he asked if she would consider being a part of the faculty. For the moment she was unable to accept, but as fate would have it, she began to teach one of those courses at the campus the following spring semester. Her research on Diseases of the Heart continued, which took her to Navajo land. She reflected on the suffering of the Native Americans and felt a connection with their plight. Her research indicated that diseases of the heart were their current main cause of physical suffering and death. Her doctoral dissertation was titled, “In a Voice of the Heart”.
In Arizona, she met a renowned medicine man and his brother, who was the CEO of the Ft. Defiance Indian Hospital. Her collaboration with The Indian Health Service, while living on the reservation for several years and her research, enabled them to open a new door, and finally a new hospital with a cardiac unit on board. Miné also brought a one-of-a-kind Masters level Health Services Management Program to the reservation as a part of her giving back to the tribe. Many of her students are still holding senior-level positions and make her proud. After a long training, on traditional ways, one of the pueblos gave Miné the name, “In two Places”…how appropriate.
Miné with a loyal client wearing a “Styles by Miné.”
While Miné has had many professional roles, since 1970 she has still made time to volunteer. This makes this year her fifty-second year of philanthropy, and the fourth year with the Assistance League. We are fortunate to have Miné as a member, although that is really an understatement. Not only will Miné help you to choose a perfect outfit for any occasion, but she will also raise your confidence and make you feel like a better person for knowing her. Miné communicates that she practices Johns Hopkins standards of excellence in everything she does and lives for her life mission of service to humanity. Miné is also a teacher, storyteller, avid traveler, and gourmet cook.
