Four individuals and organizations will be honored at the 2015 Public Health Awards ceremony to be held on Wednesday, May 6th at 1:30 p.m. at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave. in Madison.  In addition there will be special recognition for those going above and beyond in Dane County’s Ebola preparedness and response efforts.  These annual Public Health Awards recognize those who have made significant contributions and demonstrated exceptional commitment to improving public health in our community.
According to Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health - Madison and Dane County, "Each of our 2015 Public Health Award recipients have answered the call of duty to help create a community here in Madison and Dane County where the opportunity to be healthy keeps growing.  I’m inspired and honored to recognize both the variety and scope of these activities as well as the vision, leadership, and commitment of those who carried them out.”
Nominations for the Public Health awards were submitted by a variety of people and organizations in the community, and by Public Health staff. At the ceremony, public health staff will highlight the specific contributions that each honoree has made to the public health of the community. The awards will be presented by Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Dane County Executive Joe Parisi.  This year’s awards will also highlight those who worked on the front lines in both Dane County’s and West Africa’s Ebola preparedness and response efforts. 
     
This year's recipients are:

Leadership Award
David Gundersen, DDS, MPH,
Oral Health Coalition of Dane Co. and First Choice Dental
For strategic leadership to improve the oral health of Dane County residents and systems of oral health care.
 
Advocacy Award
 Covering Kids & Families - Wisconsin
For working to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities by connecting people to health insurance coverage and helping them use it effectively.
 
Leadership Award
Jason Garlynd, MS,
Vocational Horticulture Program at Oakhill Correctional Institution
For leadership and vision in connecting restorative justice with healthy food production.
 
Distinguished Service Award
 Randall Brown, MD, PhD,
UW School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Family Medicine
For distinguished service to the community for collaboratively working to prevent addiction and reduce harm and death from opioid use.
 
Special Recognition
Madison Fire Emergency Medical Services;
Meriter-UnityPoint Health;
UW Hospital and Clinics; and
Marc Rosenthal RN,
Partners in Health & UW Medical Foundation
For going above and beyond in Dane County’s Ebola preparedness and response efforts.
 
 
For additional details about the recipients, see the attached document.