For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT:
Nikki Hurt 202-994-4236; cnhurt@gwu.edu
Geiger Gibson Program Recognizes Seven Emerging Leaders at the National Association of Community Health Centers Policy and Issues Forum
WASHINGTON (March 26, 2014) – Each year, the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University (Milken Institute SPH) honors young professionals currently working in community health. Community health centers and primary care associations nominate bright, dedicated, young professionals nationally, who exemplify the mission and vision of Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers of the community health movement. From this pool, seven were selected by a committee of senior health center leaders to receive the 2014 Emerging Leader designation. Award recipients were recognized at the annual winter meeting of the National Association of Community Health Centers on March 22, 2014 in Washington, DC.
“This year’s Emerging Leaders embody the future of health centers and exemplify what makes the program so strong,” said Sara Rosenbaum, JD, the Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and founder of the Geiger Gibson Program at the Milken Institute SPH.
Feygele Jacobs, president and CEO of the RCHN Community Health Foundation, whose ongoing gift supports the activities of the Geiger Gibson Program, added, “The policy and program advocates, clinicians, health educators, and clinic administrators recognized this year as Emerging Leaders truly will become the next generation of senior leaders. We are excited to honor them and look forward to witnessing their progress as they continue to develop and grow the community health center movement.”
The following seven individuals were selected as 2014 Emerging Leaders:
2014 Emerging Leaders Award Recipients
SARAH BAILEY
Progressive Community Health Centers, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI
PHILLIP BERGQUIST
Michigan Primary Care Association
Lansing, MI
RASHAD COLLINS
Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, Inc.
Wethersfield, CT
SETH DOYLE
Northwest Regional Primary Care Association
Seattle, WA
KARMAN LEE
|Manet Community Health Center, Inc.
North Quincy, MA
PRITIKA RAM
Clinica Sierra Vista
Bakersfield, CA
CHRISTINA VELASQUEZ
Community Health Development, Inc.
Uvalde, TX
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About the Emerging Leader Award:
The Emerging Leader award was established in 2007 to highlight and share with the health center community the accomplishments of a new generation of health center leaders. One or more Emerging Leaders are selected annually by the Program, with the assistance of an advisory group comprised of health center leaders. The key qualities of leadership highlighted by this award are commitment, motivation, professional achievement, and leadership qualities that together further the health center mission.
About the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy:
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy is a special initiative of Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. Housed in the Department of Health Policy, and named after Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health practice and tireless advocates for civil and human rights, the program aims to develop the next generation of community health leaders by offering education, research and training in community health practice and leadership. The program’s research and educational activities seek to advance the education and policy development in the fields of health centers, primary health care for medically underserved populations, and health disparities reduction. The Geiger Gibson Program also offers a Fellows program; a health policy elective for medical residents; scholarship opportunities; an annual Distinguished Visitorship and more. For more information on the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy, visit http://publichealth.gwu.edu/projects/geiger-gibson-program.
About the RCHN Community Health Foundation:
The RCHN Community Health Foundation, founded in October 2005, is a not-for-profit foundation whose mission is to support community health centers through strategic investment, outreach, education, and cutting-edge health policy research. The only foundation in the country dedicated to community health centers, the Foundation builds on health centers’ 40-year commitment to the provision of accessible, high quality, community-based healthcare services for underserved and medically vulnerable populations. The Foundation’s gift to the Geiger Gibson program supports health center research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.rchnfoundation.org/.
Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University:
Established in July 1997 as the School of Public Health and Health Services, the Milken Institute School of Public Health is the only school of public health in the nation’s capital. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate and doctoral-level degrees in public health. The school also offers an online Master of Public Health, MPH@GW, and an online Executive Master of Health Administration, MHA@GW, which allow students to pursue their degree from anywhere in the world.
