Nominate your colleagues for an IH Section Award!

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 in Boston in early November. The deadline for submission of nominations is June 15, 2022. These awards provide us with the opportunity to recognize our colleagues who have made significant contributions to international health and our Section.

The IH Section has five award categories:

1. Carl E. 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 APHA and International Health Section members who might merit public recognition through an award. The nomination process is quick and easy. We ask for only a page or so that describes how the nominee meets the award criteria, plus the CV of the proposed awardee. If you have an idea of someone who might merit an award and desire some feedback, or if you need to verify whether they are APHA or IH Section members, please contact me at hperry2@jhu.edu.

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 Laura Altobelli, Jean Marie Armas, Paul Freeman, Omar Khan, Ray Martin, Padmini (Mini) Murthy (IH Section Chair ex officio), Henry Perry, Brianne Riggin-Pathak, Gopal Sankaran, Rose Schneider, Sarah Shannon (former IH Section Chair), and Curtiss Swezy.

Sincerely,

Henry B. Perry

IH Awards Committee Chair

American Public Health Association

International Health Section

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 E. 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
  1. 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 and others on multiple virtual platforms managed by the IH Section Communications Committee. 

A nomination can be made by submitting to hperry2@jhu.edu two items: (1) a letter of nomination of about one page 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.

Nominations will be reviewed by the IH Section Awards Committee and a short list of candidates for each award will be developed. The committee will then vote on short-listed candidates.

Awardees are honored at the following Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA).

  • Awards Criteria

Carl E. Lifetime Achievement Award in International Health

The Carl E. 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, and the award is one important way of remembering and honoring them. The evaluation criteria include: (1) Outstanding achievement in international community-oriented public health, epidemiology, and 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 2022

News Round Up

WORLD POPULATION:  7,945,471,541

POLITICS & POLICIES

April 21st, 2022: The White House, ahead of its May 12 virtual Global Covid-19 Summit, is asking countries, companies and philanthropies to help fight the pandemic worldwide. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-pulse/2022/04/21/what-the-white-house-wants-00026641 

April 7th, 2022: On Thursday, April 7, 2022, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a joint press conference on World Health Day. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/04/07/remarks-by-hhs-secretary-becerra-during-joint-press-conference-on-world-health-day-with-world-health-organization-director-general-dr-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus.html 

March 16th, 2022: Comparing responses to COVID-19 and the Ukraine war points to a difficult future for global health https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/four-failures-and-invasion 

PROGRAMS, CONFERENCES, GRANTS, AWARDS & EVENTS

April 27th, 2022: The University of Kentucky International Center’s Office of Global Health Initiatives hosted a virtual panel discussion noon Wednesday, April 27, focused on treating patients from Afghanistan and Ukraine. https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/office-global-health-initiatives-host-panel-treating-patients-ukraine-and 

April 19th, 2022: On Friday April 22nd, the State University of New York hosted a global health research symposium supported by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research of Downstate Health Sciences University. https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/briefs/2022/04/suny-global-health-conference.html 

April 7th, 2022: World Health Day on April 7 celebrates and advocates for health globally. For World Health Day 2022, the World Health Organization is highlighting Our Health, Our Planet and health as a human right. https://www.taskforce.org/why-we-care-about-our-health-our-planet/ 

HISTORICAL, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS, DATA & INDEXES

April 19th, 2022: India’s air quality data, removed at the last minute from the WHO Air Quality database update just prior to its launch two weeks ago, has been restored again to the online repository. https://healthpolicy-watch.news/india-air-pollution-data-restored-to-who-air-quality-database/ 

April 15th, 2022: Native American researchers are turning long-held traditions into novel public health solutions. https://magazine.jhsph.edu/2022/healing-historical-trauma 

RESEARCH

April 1st, 2022: The consequences of the dissemination of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines overflows distrust and hesitation into an entire public health project. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(22)00063-1/fulltext 

April 19th, 2022: Fractionating COVID-19 Vaccine Doses May Save Lives https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2791211 

DISEASES & DISASTERS

April 26th, 2022: Testing for COVID-19 has fallen by 70% to 90% across the world, making it more difficult for the global health community to monitor the evolution of the pandemic, treat patients, and track variants, according to Dr. Bill Rodriguez, chief executive officer of FIND, a co-convener of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator “diagnostics pillar.” https://www.devex.com/news/covid-19-testing-sees-massive-decline-leaving-countries-vulnerable-103128 

April 6th, 2022: As the COVID-19 Pandemic Enters the Third Year Most Adults Say They Have Not Fully Returned to Pre-Pandemic ‘Normal’ https://www.kff.org/other/press-release/as-the-covid-19-pandemic-enters-the-third-year-most-adults-say-they-have-not-fully-returned-to-pre-pandemic-normal/ 

TECHNOLOGY

April 26th, 2022: Vaccine-derived polio is on the rise. A new vaccine aims to stop the spread https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/04/26/1092867458/vaccine-derived-polio-is-on-the-rise-a-new-vaccine-aims-to-stop-the-spread 

April 12th, 2022: A single dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine provides as much protection against cervical cancer as the standard three-dose regimen, a new study finds. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-04-12/study-finds-just-one-dose-of-hpv-vaccine-may-be-enough 

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

April 4th, 2022: Almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits, and threatens their health. https://www.who.int/news/item/04-04-2022-billions-of-people-still-breathe-unhealthy-air-new-who-data 

EQUITY & DISPARITIES

April 14th, 2022: The Clinton Health Access Initiative selected Dr. Neil Buddy Shah as its new CEO Thursday, a sign of the global health organization’s move towards growth in low- and middle-income nations and use of new philanthropic efforts to help fund the expansion. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/clinton-health-access-initiative-names-shah-as-new-ceo/ 

April 5th, 2022: Global groups propose pandemic plan costing $10 billion a year. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/global-groups-propose-pandemic-plan-cost-10-bln-year-2022-04-05/ 

WOMEN, MATERNAL, NEONATAL & CHILDREN’S HEALTH

April 29th, 2022: A study recently completed at the University of Helsinki revealed that the fungal microbiota in the gut is more abundant and diverse in children treated with antibiotics compared with the control group even six weeks following the start of the antibiotic course. In light of the findings, a reduction in the number of gut bacteria as a result of antibiotic therapy reduces competition for space and leaves more room for fungi to multiply. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220429145038.htm

May 6th, 2022: Over the past three decades, birthrates have declined for women in their 20s and jumped for women in their late 30s and early 40s. Older mothers discuss the benefits of having children later in life, with more wisdom and resources to help them and their children. https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-05-06/motherhood-deferred-us-median-age-for-giving-birth-hits-30

April 4th, 2022: Physicians may be able to determine if menopause-related bone loss is already in progress or about to begin by measuring the level of a hormone that declines as women approach their final menstrual period, new UCLA research finds. https://scitechdaily.com/levels-of-a-hormone-could-predict-or-detect-bone-loss-in-premenopausal-women/

HUMANITARIAN, NONPROFITS, FOUNDATIONS & NGOS

April 30th, 2022: The UN’s Humanitarian Country Team in Yemen on Saturday, released its Response Plan (HRP) for this year, seeking nearly $4.3 billion to reverse a steady deterioration across the country, the grinding war there continues, despite a current pause in fighting. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117332