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Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards

15th annual Dr. David Satcher Awards

Friday, May 31

School of Nursing Auditorium, Helen Wood Hall

Keynote Speaker: Sacoby Wilson, MS, PhD, director of Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health

Presentation: "The Power of Community Engagement in the Fight for Environmental, Climate, and Energy Justice: Approaches, Solutions, and Impact"

Watch the complete grand rounds and award ceremony!

Wilson has more than 20 years of experience as an environmental health scientist in the areas of exposure science, environmental justice, environmental health disparities, community-based participatory research, water quality analysis, air pollution studies, built environment, industrial animal production, climate change, community resiliency, and sustainability. He works primarily in partnership with community-based organizations to study and address environmental justice and health issues and translate research to action.

Our 2024 Awardees:

Senior Faculty Awardee

Tarun Bhalla, MD, PhD

Vice Chair, Regional Neurosurgery

Chief, Division of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery

Director, Mobile Stroke Unit Program

Associate professor, Neurosurgery, Neurology and Imaging Sciences

Director, CAST/CNS-Endovascular Neurosurgery Fellowship

Junior Faculty Awardee

person standing with black blazer smiling at camera Maria Quiñones-Cordero, PhD

Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing

Leader of the Hispanic and Latino Engagement sub-core, National Institute of Aging-funded Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging Research

Staff Awardee

person with glasses and black blazer looking at camera Susan Rietberg-Miller, MPH

Senior Public Health Project Specialist, OBGYN Research Department

Coordinator, LGBTQ+ Health Initiative

Team Awardee

EAST-UR Collaborative

This collaborative is made up of a variety of EAST-UR programs that work together to support students at EAST High to achieve greater academic and career success. Programs include EAST EPO, Medical Lab & Health Sciences, UR NursEAST, NEUROEAST, Imaging Science & Radiology, HOSA - Lunch & Learns, and the Teen Health & Success Partnership, among others.

satcher Established in 2010, the Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards recognizes University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) faculty and staff for significant contributions to the health of our communities through research, teaching, practice, and/or service programs.

The awards reflect the mission of the Center for Community Health & Prevention and the URMC to develop and expand community-university partnerships that support community-engaged research and interventions that reduce health inequities and improve communities' health. Awards are made based on work done in the greater Rochester area and Finger Lakes region.

Efforts to improve the health of the Rochester community are deeply rooted in the history of the University of Rochester. It started in the 1920s, when the Medical Center’s original benefactor, George Eastman agreed to fund a medical school with the caveat that the school use its skills and talents “to make Rochester one of the healthiest communities in the world.” His vision has shaped an enduring legacy of commitment to improve the health of the Rochester community.

Learn about Dr. Satcher

The CCHP appreciates the support of our partners in the UR Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Office of Health Equity Research and the Department of Public Health Sciences.

Past Events

Presented as a hybrid event, the 14th annual Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards took place on May 2. The event honored URMC faculty and staff for their contributions to advancing community health and health equity in our region.

The keynote address, titled “Revisiting the Highs and Lows of Public Health Practice,” was presented by David Satcher, Ph.D., M.D.

Dr. Satcher is the founding director and senior advisor at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the 16th Surgeon General of the United States and former Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

The 2023 award recipients were:

Senior Faculty Awardee

Michael D. Mendoza, MD, MPH Michael D. Mendoza, M.D., M.P.H.

9th Commissioner of Public Health for Monroe County, NY; professor in the Department of Family Medicine

Junior Faculty Awardees (Joint)

Andrew Cohen, PhD; Allison Stiles, PhD; Corey Nichols-Hadeed, JD Andrew Cohen, Ph.D.; Allison Stiles, Ph.D.; Corey Nichols-Hadeed, J.D. (Left to Right)

Co-directors for “EACH Youth in the RCSD;” faculty in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry

Staff Awardees (Joint)

Wendy Hou, DNP, RN; Christine Maness, MS, RN

Wendy Hou, D.N.P., R.N.; Christine Maness, M.S., R.N. (Left to Right)

Coordinators of “Little Shots, Big Protection: A Team Providing COVID-19 Vaccine for Our Community’s Children;” assistant directors of Pediatric Nursing at Golisano Children’s Hospital

Watch the keynote address and award ceremony

Past Recipients

See a full list of former Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement awardees.

Questions: If you have any questions, please contact us at SatcherAward@urmc.rochester.edu or call the Center for Community Health & Prevention at (585) 602-0801.