Cleveland Piggott, Residency 2018
Recent Graduate Achievement Award 2023
Recent Graduate Achievement Award honors recent graduates who demonstrate outstanding achievements benefiting their communities, practice of medicine, and the provision of healthcare.
Cleveland Piggott is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and the inaugural Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Family Medicine in the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus School of Medicine.
The child of Panama immigrants, Dr. Piggott was raised in an environment that nurtured a spirit of service, which greatly informed the journey to his future career. While he briefly considered becoming a pastor, it was his grandfather’s experience with Alzheimer’s and the knowledge of the care physicians can provide for their communities that solidified Dr. Piggott’s interest in the medical field.
Dr. Piggott was the proud recipient of a full ride scholarship to the University of Georgia, where he studied biology and psychology. After attending a family medicine conference in San Francisco, where his interest in that specialty of medicine, and public health generally, was piqued; Dr. Piggott obtained his MD and MPH from the University of North Carolina, during which time he became involved in health policy and Medicaid expansion efforts. Upon the recommendation of his mentors, Dr. Piggott completed his residency at the CU School of Medicine, further pursuing his interest and work in health equity, after which he accepted his dream role as a CU faculty member.
Aside from maintaining a robust clinical practice, Dr. Piggott now serves as a preceptor and residency advisor for the Department of Family Medicine, as well as a faculty co-advisor for the working group Social Justice League. Additionally, he is the current president of the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians and is active on several task forces with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. In his spare time, Dr. Piggott volunteers as Doctor of the Day at the state capitol, as well as with the Dedicated to Aurora’s Wellness and Needs (DAWN) Clinic.