WASHINGTON, D. C., – The Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education (FAHE) will present Caitlin Olafsson with the Dr. Becky J. Smith FAHE Award during the 2025 Annual Conference in Long Beach, April 16-18.
“This award means a lot to me, being recognized for hard work and dedication in the classroom while being an athlete. It’s a kind of reassurance that I’m on the right track,” said Caitlin Olafsson, currently a junior at Gustavus Adolphus College with a double major in Public Health and Psychology. “I’ve always known I wanted to do something in the health field, but I was struggling to find what exactly that meant, so I’m grateful to be given this recognition and the opportunity to continue my education and find my career path within this field,” she shared.
This FAHE award recognizes an undergraduate student majoring in Health Education with an emphasis in Community, School, or Public Health Education.
“Public health is all about trying to find the most efficient health outcomes within a community for everyone. The mission and vision of this award/foundation are so deeply rooted in equity, and I think this clearly highlights what our work should be focusing on. Social determinants are some of the leading determinants of health, and trying to enforce equity is a huge step in the right direction,” Olafsson shared.
Olafsson is an active member of the psychology honors society and participated in the Nicollet County community health assessment alongside her professor and two peers. She has also contributed to public health awareness by tabling at events with her professors and classmates to promote the public health major and encourage other students to consider this career path.
“I was told about this award and encouraged to apply by one of my favorite professors, Karl Larson. When going over my application process and poking around the website, the tie to social justice stood out to me. It recognizes that social factors need to be highlighted when looking at health outcomes. I learned a lot about the social side of things in a sociology of medicine class, and ever since then, I have kept these things in mind. I’m glad that large organizations like SOPHE are focusing on this as well,” she reflected.
Caitlin embodies this award as someone who is not only committed to academic excellence but also dedicated to promoting health equity and social justice through her work. She plans to continue her education after graduation by pursuing a graduate degree in epidemiology to further her passion for improving public health outcomes.
“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award and excited for the opportunity to advance my knowledge and make a difference in public health,” Olafsson concluded.
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About SOPHE
The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association that supports leaders in public health, health education, and promotion to advance healthy and equitable communities across the globe. SOPHE members work in health care settings, communities, organizations, schools, universities, worksites, and in local, state, and federal government agencies. For more information visit www.sophe.org.
About FAHE
The Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education (SOPHE) is a nonprofit association whose mission it is to advance the health education profession with a social justice and equity perspective by supporting students, the workforce, and leaders in the field. It does this by cultivating relationships with organizations and stakeholders; fundraising to maximize private support; providing scholarships, fellowships, and awards; advocating for health education as an essential part of public health; and being a prominent force in supporting health education. For more information visit www.fahefoundation.org.
