Awards will be presented at the 20th Annual Advocacy Summit
Washington, D.C. – The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2018 Honorary Fellow Award. This year, two distinguished individuals are being recognized during SOPHE’s 20th Annual Advocacy Summit, October 13-15 in Washington, D.C.: Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD, of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
The Honorary Fellow Award is SOPHE’s highest honor presented to a non-member who has made significant and lasting contributions to health education and the public’s health.
“On behalf of our 4,000 members, SOPHE is honored to recognize Sen. Udall and Dr. Jones for their tireless commitment to elevating the health and the education of our country’s populace in policy, research and practice,” said Angela Mickalide, PhD, MCHES®, SOPHE’s president. “Dr. Jones and Sen. Udall will join the elite category of only 30 individuals awarded this recognition since SOPHE was established since 1950.”
Throughout his distinguished public service career, Sen. Udall, New Mexico’s senior senator, has championed policy efforts to promote consumer health and wellness, education, and the elimination of rural health disparities. He advanced the health of children and youth by championing the inclusion of health education as a well-rounded subject in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was passed in 2015.
Sen. Udall also has fought for access to affordable health care, coverage of essential preventive services to keep people healthy, and transparency and accountability in the delivery of health care. He serves on five Senate committees: Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Commerce, Indian Affairs, and Rules and Administration.
A family physician and epidemiologist, Dr. Jones’s career focuses on the impact of racism on the health and well-being of the nation. Through her research and powerful presentations, she has broadened the national health debate to include not only universal access to high-quality health care but also the social determinants of health such as poverty.
Through her various leadership positions in government and education, Dr. Jones has confronted the issue of racism in perpetuating social inequalities, including those related to our nation’s criminal justice system.
For these reasons and more, SOPHE is honored to recognize Sen. Udall and Dr. Jones as individuals who have made exemplary and lasting contributions to the field of health education and public health.
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