Sanjeev Arora MD, the founder and executive director of Project ECHO, received the 2023 New Mexico Humanitarian Awards, held on August 13, a university press release said. The award celebrated Arora's dedication to philanthropy, human welfare, social reform, and values-driven investments in the state of New Mexico.

“On behalf of my team, I am deeply touched to receive this recognition from our community,” Arora said. “The work we have done together to impact New Mexico has been tremendous, but we are far from done. With this recognition, we commit ourselves to making an even greater impact on the people of New Mexico in the future.”

Arora, a tenured professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico's School of Medicine, initiated Project ECHO at UNM in 2003 to address the challenge of delivering swift and quality healthcare to underserved and rural communities, the release said.

The New Mexico Humanitarian Awards "honor those who have embodied an outstanding spirit of humanity in a local, national, or international capacity," the release said.

ECHO expands the ability of frontline healthcare providers to manage intricate conditions locally with remote guidance from a team of experts and a collaborative peer community. Leveraging videoconferencing technology, Project ECHO utilizes a "hub-and-spoke" approach to equip New Mexico's community-based clinicians across rural counties, Indian Health Service clinics, and state prisons with the skills to administer patient care within their respective communities, the release said.

The ECHO Model improves healthcare access for tens of thousands of residents in New Mexico. The model is used in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Founded in 2003 at the university, Project ECHO partners with leading organizations, including the World Health Organization and leading universities and non-governmental organizations, the press release said.