Dear APHA International Health Section members,
It is time again to solicit your nominations for awards to be presented at the next annual APHA convention, this October 24-27, 2021, in Denver, Colorado, and online. The deadline for submission of nominations is Sunday, June 6, 2021, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time). This is how we can recognize our colleagues who have made significant contributions to international health and our Section. The IH Section has five award categories, descriptions and award criteria being described below:
1. Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health
2. Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology and Practice
3. Mid-Career Award in International Health
4. Distinguished Section Service Award
5. Young Professional Award
We encourage you to think about who in APHA and our Section might merit public recognition through an award. It really doesn’t take a long time to nominate someone. We ask for only a page or so that describes how the nominee meets the award criteria, plus the C.V. of the proposed awardee. If you have an idea of someone who might merit an award and desire some feedback, or need to verify whether they are APHA or IH Section members, please contact us at ihsection.awards@gmail.com
Instructions for submitting nominations are found below. You can also access the award descriptions and criteria, along with the names of past awardees as compiled by IH Historian Ray Martin, on the IH website, https://aphaih.org/ih-section-awards-2/
The IH Section Awards Committee consists of Jean Armas, Paul Freeman, Omar Khan, Ray Martin, Henry Perry, Hallie Pritchard, Gopal Sankaran, Rose Schneider, Sarah Shannon, Curtiss Swezy, Laura Altobelli, and Mini Murthy, IH Section Chair ex officio.
Sincerely,
Laura Altobelli, IH Awards Committee Chair
American Public Health Association
International Health Section
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Annual Awards Guidance
The International Health (IH) Section recognizes each year outstanding individuals who have contributed in an important way to the field of international health and/or to the IH Section. Guidance is provided here on the process and criteria for selecting the individuals to receive the five major awards:
Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award,
Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology, and Practice,
Mid-Career Award in International Health,
Distinguished Section Service Award,
Young Professional Award
A. Process for award nominations and selection
The Awards Committee of the IH Section is entrusted with the awards process, with collaboration and input from IH Section leadership when needed.
The annual request for nominations for IH Section awards is prepared by the IH Section Awards Committee. This request is sent out to all IH Section members on multiple virtual platforms managed by the IH Section Communications Committee.
A nomination can be made by submitting to ihsection.awards@gmail.com two items: (1) a letter of nomination of no more than two pages that specifies the name of the nominee, the title of the award, and how the nominee meets the specific criteria for the award (listed below); and (2) the nominee’s current curriculum vitae.
All complete nominations are reviewed by the IH Section Awards Committee. The committee members then vote independently on the candidates. The nominee who gets the highest number of votes in the award category is selected to receive the award.
Awardees are honored at the following Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA).
B. Awards Criteria
Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health
The Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health honors the visionaries and leaders who have shaped or continue to shape the direction of International Health. Carl E. Taylor was the founder of the APHA International Health Section and a pioneer in and global champion of international health in the 20th century. The evaluation criteria for the Lifetime Achievement Award include: (1) Quality, creativity, and innovativeness of the individual’s contributions to the field of international health; (2) Application of the individual’s work to international health practice (as opposed to primarily theoretical value); (3) The individual’s contributions as a leader, visionary, and role model in international health; and (4) Current membership in APHA, and preferably membership in the IH Section.
Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology, and Practice
The Gordon-Wyon Award for Community-Oriented Public Health, Epidemiology, and Practice recognizes outstanding achievement in international community-oriented public health, epidemiology, and/or practice. This award was established in 2006 by the IH Section. John Gordon and John Wyon were pioneer epidemiologists and mentors in this field, so encouraging and recognizing others in this field is one important way of remembering and honoring them. The evaluation criteria include: (1) Outstanding achievement in international community-oriented public health, epidemiology, and/or practice; (2) Demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of international community-oriented public health; and (3) Current membership in the APHA IH Section.
Mid-Career Award in International Health
The Mid-Career Award in International Health recognizes an outstanding mid-career professional in the IH Section. Evaluation criteria include: (1) Demonstrated achievement and commitment to international health promotion and development over a suggested period of seven to 20 years; (2) Demonstrated creativity in expanding the concepts pertinent to the practice of public health with an international focus; and (3) Current membership in the APHA IH Section.
Distinguished Section Service Award
The Distinguished Section Service Award honors outstanding service to the IH Section. The evaluation criteria include: (1) Dedication to the IH Section mission and goals as demonstrated by exceptional contribution to its activities; (2) Serving in IH Section elected positions or chairing its committees with outstanding or unusual effort and achievements; (3) Excellence in team work with peers in the IH Section and the APHA; and (4) Current membership in the APHA IH Section.
Young Professional Award
The International Health Section recognizes the important contribution of young professionals for their leadership, innovation, and demonstrated contribution to international health with its annual Young Professional Award instituted in 2018. The evaluation criteria include: (1) Demonstrated contribution to the field of international health through leadership, innovation, and impactful practice; (2) Age younger than 35 years at the time of application; and (3) Current membership in the APHA IH Section.
– Updated and approved by the IH Section Awards Committee, April 2021
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