Alumni Awards
The UIC SPH Alumni Association Awards Program is an outstanding opportunity to showcase our exceptional alumni, but we need your help in identifying graduates who deserve this honor. Nominators are asked to fill out the online form below to nominate an alumnus/alumna. They may also nominate more than one person for each award.
The deadline to nominate alumni is December 31 of each year to be considered for the upcoming Annual Alumni Celebration. Any nominations submitted after December 31 will be saved and reviewed for the following year's Annual Alumni Celebration.
Please note, we will not be opening award nominations for 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact the UIC SPH Office of Advancement at sphadvancement@uic.edu.
2020 Alumni Awardees Heading link
Award Categories Heading link
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About the award
Since its founding in 1970, the UIC School of Public Health has been consistently supported by generous benefactors. The Champion of Public Health Award, established in the year of the school’s 40th anniversary, is presented to a supporter of UIC SPH who, through direct financial support, has demonstrated outstanding charitable responsibility, and whose generosity encourages others to participate in public health philanthropy.
Alumni Awardees
- Lanny Passaro – 2013
- Sylvia Furner – 2014
- Paul Levy and Virgina Tomasek – 2015
- Susan Scrimshaw – 2016
- Irving Harris Foundation – 2017
- Edwin Chen – 2019
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Award Description
The award is presented to an individual who has brought honor to the university and the School of Public Health through significant contributions to the improvement of the public’s health, to public health literature, and/or public health professional education.
Alumni Awardees
- Cynthia Summers – 2013
- Valerie Webb – 2014
- Jennifer Hebert-Beirne – 2016
- Suzet McKinney – 2018
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Award Description
The Dr. Jacob Brody Award is given to a member of UIC SPH Epidemiology and Biostatistics alumni body who has achieved outstanding success or recognition. The selection committee particularly looks for individuals who have achieved national, regional, or statewide prominence either in their professional fields or through their involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities as they relate to epidemiology and biostatistics. Alumni award recipients are brought back to campus the day before the awards presentation to participate with their college or major department in the classroom or in other ways as a mentor/role model for current students.
Alumni Awardees:
- Steven Jacobsen – 2013
- Frank Hu – 2014
- David Ansell – 2015
- Karen Sheehan – 2016
- Philip Ricks – 2018
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Award Description
The Dr. Naomi Morris Alumni Award For Community Health Sciences is given to an alumnus who have achieved outstanding success or recognition. The selection committee particularly looks for individuals who have achieved national, regional, or statewide prominence either in their professional field or through their involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities as they relate to the area of Community Health Sciences.
Alumni Awardees
- William Baldyga – 2012
- Allen Smart – 2013
- Robert Brewer – 2014
- Linda Van Horn – 2015
- Michele Shade McKay – 2016
- Rosalie Guttman – 2018
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Award Description
The EOHS Alumni Award is given to a member of UIC SPH Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences alumni body who has achieved outstanding success or recognition. The selection committee particularly looks for individuals who have achieved national, regional, or statewide prominence either in their professional fields or through their involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities. Alumni award recipients are brought back to campus the day before the awards presentation to participate with their college or major department in the classroom or in other ways as a mentor/role model for current students.
Alumni Awardees
- Laurel Berman – 2013
- Barbara Epstien – 2014
- Cynthia Klein-Banai – 2015
- Mark Johnson – 2016
- Bogdan Catalin – 2018
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Award Description
This award is presented to a member of the Health Policy and Administration alumni community who has achieved national, regional or statewide prominence either in their professional fields or through their involvement in civic, cultural or charitable activities.
Alumni Awardees
- Memoona Hasnain – 2013
- Lee Francis – 2014
- Julio Silva – 2015
- Joel Karman – 2016
- Catherine Counard – 2017
- John Herrman – 2019
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About the award
This award is given to a member of the maternal and child health (MCH) alumni community who is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women, children, and families, and have achieved national, regional, or statewide prominence through their involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities in the MCH field.
Alumni Awardees
- Shirley Fleming – 2013
- Tracie Smith – 2014
- Patricia Kokotailo – 2015
- Christine Taggart Bozlak – 2016
- Madiha Qureshi – 2017
- Debra Kane – 2019
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About the award
This award is given to a member of the UIC SPH alumni community that has served the public health community and has been a beacon of light in advocating for the rights of those that are less fortunate. The selection committee looks for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to public health through community based participatory research and advocacy.
Alumni Awardees
- George R. Smith – 2014
- Basmattee Boodram – 2015
- Bambade Shakoor – 2016
- Janet Lin – 2017
- Juana Ballesteros – 2019
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About the award
This award honors a member of the alumni community who exemplifies excellence and dedication to the field of public health. Recipients must have graduated within the last ten years and have already demonstrated tremendous talents and contributions to their profession, community, and UIC SPH.
Alumni Awardees
- Charlesnika Evans – 2013
- Sherri LaVela – 2015
- Reginald Cantave – 2017
- Karen Aguirre – 2019
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Award recipients
- Dr. Linda Rae Murray, MPH ‘80 – Loyalty Honoree 2010
- Sherry Weingart, MPH ‘80 – Loyalty Honoree 2010
- Daniel Swartzman, MPH ‘78 – Loyalty Honoree 2011
- Stephen Thompson, PhD ‘00 – Constituent Leader Honoree 2013
- Fred Carlson, MPH ‘76 – Loyalty Honoree 2015
- Gita Rampersad, MHA ‘11– Loyalty Honoree 2015
- Captain Todd Stankewicz, MBA ’01, MPH ‘01- Humanitarian Award Honoree 2022
- Dr. David Ansell, MPH ‘91- Alumni Achievement Honoree 2022