CONTACT: Chris Ruditys, (800) 567-4494; Gretchen Sampson, (715) 485-8506; Peggy Hintzman, (608) 262-8856, plh@mail.slh.wisc.edu
MADISON – The Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) presented awards to three University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty members during its May 24 conference.
Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Director Ronald Laessig received the Distinguished Service to Public Health Award; School of Medicine and Public Health Dean Philip Farrell received the Special Achievement in Public Health Partnerships; and School of Nursing Assistant Professor Susan Zahner received the Excellence in Public Health Research Award.
In making the award, WPHA member Larry Gilbertson said, “As the director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene [WSLH], Dr. Laessig has built one of the strongest state public and environmental health laboratories in the nation by identifying critical public health priorities and bringing to bear all of the resources available at the WSLH in service to state and local agencies.”
Farrell and Medical College of Wisconsin Dean Michael Dunn were jointly recognized for their support of public and community health programs through the Wisconsin Partnership Fund for a Healthy Future and the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, respectively. The two deans were applauded for making linkages to the state health plan a key component of the grant application process and for working together to address public health workforce development issues, including creation of the Healthier Wisconsin Leadership Institute.
Zahner was honored for generating critically needed scientific knowledge focused on the public health system, including studies of the capacity of local public health agencies to form collaborative partnerships, studies of public health nurses during the transition to population-based practices, and studies of actors that help or hinder the performance of smaller, rural public health systems.
The Wisconsin Public Health Association, an affiliate of the American Public Health Association, is an organization dedicated to promoting sound public health policy and providing public health education for its members and the people of Wisconsin. Formed in 1948, it is the largest organization of public health professionals in the state.
