Call for Nominations Open Now for the 2010 "Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health"

Call for Nominations Open Now for the 2010 "Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health"WASHINGTON, DC (April 30, 2010) – Nominations are being accepted online now at http://www.pahef.org/awards/nominations for the 2010 Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health, a joint program of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

These awards honor dedicated professionals who led the way in advancing health conditions in the Americas during the last century and are intended to stimulate the growth of the next and rising generation of leaders working to improve health and health care in the Americas.

Awards with a nomination deadline of June 15, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST:

Awards with a nomination deadline of June 30, 2010, 5:00 p.m. EST:

Each awardee receives a cash prize or grant, certificate of merit, and a paid trip to Washington, DC, to receive the award at the annual PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Event and is recognized before the ministers of health of the region at the PAHO Directing Council Meeting.

Past winners of the esteemed Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health are some of the most recognized individuals and organizations working in the field of public health throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

Notable past winners include:

  • Dr. Eduardo A. Pretell Zárate (Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health), former minister of health of Peru. He was the founder of the National Iodine Deficiency Control Program in Peru and is regional coordinator for Latin America in the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders.
  • Dr. Ricardo Uauy (Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health), world-renowned nutritionist, pediatrician, and professor. He is currently a professor of public health nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He formerly worked at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA) at the University of Chile.
  • Mrs. Mary Pérez de Marranzini (Clarence H. Moore Award for Excellence for Voluntary Service), director for more than 40 years of the Asociación Dominicana de Rehabilitación in the Dominican Republic.
  • Dr. Cesar Victora (Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health), a leader in addressing the health problems of mothers and children, particularly infant nutrition and child growth, in Latin America and worldwide. He is currently a professor of epidemiology at the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil.
  • Dr. Guilherme Luiz Guimaraes Borges (Fred L. Soper Award for Excellence in Health Literature), for the paper, “Traumatic Events and Suicide-related Outcomes among Mexico City Adolescents.”
  • Dr. Ilane Hernández Morales (Pedro N. Acha Award for Excellence in Veterinary Public Health), for her thesis “Preparation and Assessment of a DNA Vaccine Versus Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Outer Membrane Protein A (OmpA) in Laying Hens.”
  • Patricia Sorokin, a researcher who is a graduate of Buenos Aires University, wrote a paper entitled, "Treatment of Personal Data on Genome Research: Bioethical, Legal, and Social Aspects."

A jury of distinguished public health professionals reviews nominations and recommends a candidate for each award to the board of trustees of the Foundation for final selection.

To learn more about the specific criteria for these awards, please visit www.pahef.org/awards.

Founded in 1968, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) is a public 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to fostering public health programs in the Americas that address major health concerns. PAHEF improves the lives of people throughout the Americas by working with the public and private sectors as well as major public health research, policy, and development groups.

PAHEF enjoys a unique relationship with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization. The Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health help stimulate the growth of the next and rising generation of leaders working to improve health and health care in the Americas. The Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Program is a partnership between PAHEF and PAHO.