APHA announces 2025 awards for excellence in public health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Every year, the American Public Health Association honors excellence in public health leadership and innovation, from state and local health officials to those speaking up for public health from the halls of Congress.

This year’s awards will be presented Monday, Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m. during APHA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo, which officially kicks off Nov. 2.

"We celebrate the accomplishments and commitment of these outstanding public health leaders," said Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of APHA. "Their contributions have helped strengthen the field and provide inspiration as we tackle the serious challenges facing public health today."

This year’s honorees include:

Amelie G. Ramirez, MPH, DrPH, the distinguished professor and chair, Department of Population Health Sciences and Director for Health Promotion Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, will receive APHA’s 2025 Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health for her work in public health, which spans more than 30 years, and is a powerful testament to the legacy of the late Dr. Sedgwick. As an internationally recognized researcher and the founding director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at University of Texas Health San Antonio, Ramirez’s career has been dedicated to reducing health disparities, particularly within the Latino community. She has developed and led over 100 interventional studies and communication projects that have improved cancer screening rates, increased clinical trial participation and implemented patient navigation programs. Beyond groundbreaking research, she is deeply committed to mentorship and capacity building. She has personally trained over 300 Latino students and early-career researchers and led the NCI-funded Éxito! program, which has helped more than 200 master's-level Latino students pursue doctoral education and careers in cancer research. Her unwavering commitment to improving health equity and building the next generation of public health leaders makes her a truly deserving recipient of the Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health.

Alister Martin, MD, MPP, founder and CEO, A Heathier Democracy, will receive the 2025 APHA Award for Excellence for exceptionally meritorious contributions to improving public health through creative and innovative work. As an emergency physician, he has witnessed firsthand how health outcomes are inextricably linked to civic engagement and social determinants. To address this, he founded A Healthier Democracy, a nonprofit that leverages health care settings to build programs serving vulnerable populations. In a year where the pillars of democracy are being challenged, it is profoundly fitting to honor him for groundbreaking work in bridging the gap between health care and civic participation. 

His signature initiative, Vot-ER, has organized over 50,000 health care providers to help patients register to vote directly from clinics and hospital beds. This innovative organizational work applies scientific knowledge to the betterment of community health by empowering patients to elect leaders who will prioritize health-conscious policies. Martin also co-founded GOTVax to apply a "get out the vote" framework to vaccine delivery, ensuring equitable access for marginalized communities during the pandemic. His efforts exemplify the very purpose of the APHA Award for Excellence, which recognizes creative, effective work in improving the health of the public. 

Ami Zota, ScD, MS, associate professor, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, will receive the 2025 David P. Rall Award for Advocacy in Public Health. By sharing her expertise with advocacy groups, legislators and the media, she has helped shape some of the most stringent cosmetic safety regulations in the U.S. These policies, which ban harmful substances such as PFAS, phthalates and lead from personal care products, directly reflect her efforts to translate scientific findings into tangible public health protections, making her a truly deserving recipient of this international award.

Mareyba Fawad, MPH, federal health policy and data consultant at Acumen, LLC, is being honored with the 2025 Giorgio A. Piccagli Leadership Award as an early-career professional for her transformative leadership across two state Affiliates, ability to build bridges among Affiliates and commitment to mentoring the next generation of the public health workforce. As the youngest individual serving in the conference director role for the Oklahoma Public Health Association in the organization's 84-year history, she pioneered the conference-planning framework, led a 40-person team to host the state's largest two-day public health gathering and secured financial support that sustained the organization. She launched OPHA’s first undergraduate engagement program, which was recognized during an APHA webinar, and continues to mentor those she onboarded. As Vice President of the Southern California Public Health Association, she stabilized the Affiliate during a period of transition, led the statewide virtual conference, expanded university partnerships and established collaboration within the Affiliate network. While working full-time as a consultant for various offices at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mareyba has dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to APHA building durable systems, expanding participation and elevating early-career voices. She also represented public health internationally, speaking as a delegate at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women this year. Mareyba’s leadership and passion for enhancing public health structures truly embody the spirit and enduring legacy of Giorgio A. Piccagli.

Danny Scalise, MBA, MPH, CPH, FACHE, FRSPH, the public health director, Burke County Public Health in Lenior, North Carolina will receive the 2025 Milton and Ruth Roemer Prize for Creative Local Public Health Work for his visionary leadership and commitment to public health in multiple domains, particularly his street medicine initiative and NCCARE 360 for harm reduction, and collaborating with community partners to address the social needs of hard-to-reach populations. His academic health department is expanding the physician workforce practicing with a public health lens, the kind of skilled practitioners our society needs. He personifies the criteria of the Roemer prize – leadership, creativity, replicable programs and mobilizing popular support for innovative work.

Carol Sakala, PhD, MSPH, maternal health consultant at the National Partnership for Women & Family, will receive the 2025 Martha May Eliot Award for decades of service furthering the health of women in the U.S. and abroad. The systematic development of an evidence base that supports a patient-centered approach to perinatal care makes her a most deserving candidate. We are grateful that, as a “researcher, advocate, and communicator, [she] has been persistent in building the case for more respectful and comprehensive care for women throughout the lifespan as the best way to improve perinatal outcomes.” For more than 11 years, she developed and led the maternal health portfolio at the National Partnership for Women & Families. Over the summer, she transitioned to working full time with the National Partnership on special projects, primarily the ambitious fourth national Listening to Mothers survey, with elevated significance in the present environment of suppression of maternal health data and of illuminating inequity.

Y. Tony Yang, ScD, LLM MPH, endowed professor of health policy at The George Washington University, will receive the 2025 Helen Rodriguez-Trias Social Justice Award for his impactful work, which exemplifies the spirit of this award. Yang’s leadership of a $2 million CDC-funded initiative to expand COVID-19 vaccine access for hard-to-reach populations in Washington, D.C. — including newly-arrived immigrants, undocumented residents and unhoused individuals — demonstrates a deep commitment to equity in public health. Additionally, his direction of a $1.5 million federal grant to address hepatitis B among racial and ethnic minorities has significantly expanded access to testing, vaccination and care for those often overlooked by traditional health care systems.

His "It’s a Dad Thing" project further illustrates his innovative approach, challenging norms by elevating the critical, yet underacknowledged, role of fathers in addressing maternal mortality disparities among Black families. Through his efforts at the intersection of law and public health, he continues the legacy of Dr. Rodriguez-Trías, using social justice as a tool for meaningful, lasting change.

Dhitinut Ratnapradipa, PhD, a professor and program director in the clinical research and public health department at Creighton University School of Medicine will receive the 2025 Lyndon Haviland Public Health Mentoring Award for his many contributions.

Dr. Ratnapradipa’s colleagues shared their praise in the testimonials below:
 • “It has been more than twelve years since I graduated from SIUC, yet I can still hear Dr. DT’s words of encouragement guiding me.”
 • “Dr. Ratnapradipa’s mentorship was instrumental in shaping my academic and professional trajectory. Without his guidance and encouragement early in my career, I may never have developed the confidence and skills necessary to thrive in public health research and leadership.”
 • “Dr. DT made me more compassionate and empathetic to students’ needs. I now mentor several students and encourage them to pursue independent research, collaborate with others, attend conferences such as APHA and present their work.” 

Natalia M. Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, associate professor, Purdue University, will receive the 2025 Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award for making transformative strides in human-centered approaches to health technology design. Her work exemplifies true interdisciplinarity, combining biomedical engineering and public health to advance both fields.

Her career has focused on addressing breast and cervical cancer disparities among medically underserved Hispanic immigrant communities, and she has emerged as a thought leader in applying innovative processes to solve complex public health challenges. Her contributions include implementing SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing in a homeless shelter, as well as securing a prestigious NIH grant to address cervical cancer disparities in the same population through HPV self-sampling and rapid testing.

As an expert translational scientist, she has successfully engaged with “hard-to-reach” populations, including people living with HIV and those experiencing homelessness. Her research and projects model a deep commitment to systems-level change, ensuring that health technologies are designed with genuine consideration for the social and cultural contexts of the communities most in need.

For these reasons, she is a truly deserving recipient of the Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award.

Apryl Alexander, PsyD, the Metrolina Medical Foundation distinguished professor of health and policy, University of North Carolina Charlotte, will receive the 2025 Sommer Klag Advocacy Achievement Award for her advocacy on behalf of at-promise and systems-involved youth. They commend her leadership in advancing juvenile justice reform and her ability to build strong collaborations with community partners to promote legislative changes that improve the lives of young people. She has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to applying scientific and public health principles to influence policy and drive community-level advocacy.

Her submission for this award highlighted the power of advocacy, evidence and community partnership to advance public health. Her work reflects the many dimensions of advocacy — research translation, teaching, policy engagement through local and state legislative activities, community mobilization and extensive media advocacy — all of which exemplify the spirit and purpose of the Sommer Klag Advocacy Achievement Award. This award, presented for the first time in 2025 by the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in partnership with APHA, is made possible through a gift from Helaine Lerner and her late husband, Sid Lerner.

Democracy Forward will receive the 2025 APHA Presidential Citation, which is presented to a person or organization in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement of public health or the public health profession. 

APHA President Dr. Deanna Wathington proudly selected Democracy Forward for standing in the breach with APHA as social progress, especially the public’s health, has faced assault after assault at the hands of the Trump administration. Since its founding in 2016, Democracy Forward has worked, free of charge, to defend democracy and social progress. From standing up for voting rights and protecting the rights of federal employees to ensuring appropriated federal funds are being used as intended and combating the harmful effects of Project 2025, Democracy Forward has been a light in the darkness.

Similarly to APHA, Democracy Forward leverages their collective power to uphold and defend public health infrastructure, policy and resources. Democracy Forward has three pillars in their strategy “to advance a bold, vibrant democracy for all people.” These pillars are, “Defend, Disrupt and Build.” Democracy Forward has filed over 710 actions to protect our democracy from the actions of the current administration, including those on whom APHA has been a client and partner. Dr. Wathington and APHA are eternally grateful to Ms. Perryman and her team for their efforts to protect the public’s health and look forward to collaborating in the future.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-GA, will receive the 2025 APHA Distinguished Public Health Legislator of the Year Award for his leadership in supporting efforts to improve the nation’s health. We are particularly thankful for Senator Warnock’s ongoing efforts championing and strengthening public health during his time in the U.S. Senate, including playing a leading role in advocating for the workforce and programs of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in his home state of Georgia. During the current Trump administration, CDC and its staff have faced significant staff reductions, a misguided reorganization proposal, and several instances where previously authorized funding by Congress for important public health programs ranging from chronic disease prevention, injury prevention and environmental health threats has been frozen. We truly appreciate his efforts to defend CDC, its staff and its critical mission in the face of the various assaults it has faced this year — including the horrific shooting this summer at the agency’s headquarters. We also greatly appreciate Senator Warnock’s leadership in speaking out against the damaging Medicaid, Affordable Care Act and SNAP cuts that were included in the budget reconciliation legislation. We are hopeful that we can work with him and his colleagues in a bipartisan manner to address the damage being done to the nation’s public health system and workforce, and to reverse the recent health care cuts that will force millions to lose their health insurance coverage.

Further information on each award, including past recipients, is available online.

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The American Public Health Association champions optimal, equitable health and well-being for all. With our broad-based member community and 150-year perspective, we influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.