Elena Olson

Elena Olson is the Executive Director of the Multicultural Affairs Office at Massachusetts General Hospital. Under her leadership, MAO has evolved into a full service operation at MGH which works with virtually all departments of the hospital. The Mission of MAO is to support, develop and advance the careers of underrepresented minority physicians, researchers, and students, as well as to develop culturally competent physicians at MGH. MAO accomplishes its mission through 3 broad based initiatives: physician workforce diversity and leadership, education and research, and community outreach.

Ms. Olson practiced as a civil litigator in a large Boston law firm for seven years before joining MAO in August, 2000. She received her BA in International Affairs with a minor in Biology from Goucher College in 1987. After working as a legal interpreter in Washington, DC for several years, she received her JD degree from Santa Clara University School of Law, California in 1992, with an emphasis on Human Rights. Her family is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Ms. Olson was born and raised. Ms. Olson, who is bilingual in Spanish and English, has been involved in numerous initiatives with the Hispanic and minority communities in San Francisco and Boston; most recently as chair of the MGH Latino Heritage Month Planning Committee. She is also a 2003 graduate of Lead Boston, a leadership and social justice program sponsored by the Boston Conference for Community & Justice. Ms. Olson currently serves on the MGH Diversity Committee and Health Disparities Committee, and leads and participates in numerous strategic planning initiatives focused on physician and patient diversity, as well as health and nutrition.