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Ambassadors, Ministers of Health, and Fortune 500 Companies Came Together for First Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Awards Event
Awards Recognize Public Health Achievements in Latin America and the Caribbean
Media Contact: Ashley Gatewood
202-974-3727
gatewooa@pahef.org
WASHINGTON, DC (September 30, 2009) — A nonprofit fighting for the rights of transgender people, a former minister of health from Peru, and a young, female scientist, were among the honorees at last night’s Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Awards ceremony and dinner. The awards are cosponsored by the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to recognize those advancing public health and health care in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The event brought together ministers of health, ambassadors from PAHO Member States, and top-level executives from Fortune 500 companies, among others, to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward improving the health and well-being of the people of the Americas.
For over 30 years, PAHEF has recognized and awarded individuals who have dedicated their lives to advancing public health and health care in the Americas. This marks the first time PAHEF and PAHO presented the awards in an evening event.
Awards given included:
Fred L. Soper Award for Excellence in Health Literature
Dr. Guilherme Luiz Guimaraes Borges, Senior Researcher, Department of Intervention Studies, Division of Epidemiological and Psychosocial Studies, National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico won the Fred L. Soper Award for Excellence in Health Literature for his groundbreaking research and paper, “Traumatic Events and Suicide-Related Outcomes among Mexico City Adolescents.”
Clarence H. Moore Award for Voluntary Service
Argentina-based REDLACTRANS (Latin American and Caribbean Transgender Network) won the Clarence H. Moore Award for Voluntary Service for their work in advancing the acceptance and rights of transgender and transvestite people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization’s regional coordinator, Ms. Marcela Romero, a transsexual who fought for 10 years to be recognized as a woman in Argentina, accepted the award.
Abraham Horwitz Award for Leadership in Inter-American Health
Former minister of health of Peru, Dr. Eduardo A. Pretell Zárate, now Regional Coordinator for the Americas, International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, received the Abraham Horwitz Award for Leadership in Inter-American Health. He is recognized as one of the most prestigious experts in iodine deficiency disorders in Latin America. The award honors his many scientific accomplishments including defining that iodine deficiency during pregnancy and lactation results in brain damage and mental retardation in newborns.
Pedro N. Acha Award for Veterinary Public Health
Dr. Ilane Hernández Morales, from Mexico, received the Pedro N. Acha Award for Veterinary Health for her undergraduate work and thesis, “Preparation and Assessment of a DNA Vaccine Versus Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Outer Membrane Protein A (OmpA) in Laying Hens.” The vaccine would prevent Salmonella transmission, which affects 16 million people per year worldwide, to humans via chicken eggs.
“First-rate health research and advancements are happening throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,” says Edward Kadunc, executive director of PAHEF. “Tonight’s awards demonstrate that the rest of the world is taking notice of this exceptional work and the Region is receiving well-deserved attention for these accomplishments. The Pan American Health and Education Foundation applauds all of the winners and is indebted to them for making major health strides in the Western Hemisphere.”
Nominations for the 2010 Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health will open February 1, 2010, at www.pahef.org.
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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 PAHO, the Pan American Health Organization, which serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.
Since 1975, the Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health have been stimulating the growth of the next and rising generation of leaders working together to improve health and health care in the Americas. The Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health is a partnership between the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). 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. The awards have the unique distinction of recognizing both established and emerging contributors to the field of public health within the Western Hemisphere. Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, they are recognized as a career-defining achievement that brings honor and recognition.
