AAFP Accepting Nominations for 2021 Public Health Award

During National Public Health Week, and in recognition of the significant contributions family physicians have made to public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academy has officially opened nominations for the 2021 Public Health Award. Nominations are due by May 15, and all AAFP members are invited to apply.

Selection Criteria

AAFP members are encouraged to nominate themselves or another member for the award. To apply, submit a nomination packet that includes

• a completed nomination form;
• a separate sheet that documents and provides examples of the nominee’s contributions in one or more areas of public health, such as leadership, advocacy, health equity or population health;
• the member’s curriculum vitae; and
• a letter of endorsement from the member’s chapter.

The packet should be emailed to Michael Monroe, clinical and health policy strategist in the Academy’s Division of Research, Science, and Health of the Public.  Members who have questions about the nomination process should contact Monroe for more information.

The winner of the Public Health Award will be determined by a panel consisting of the executive committee of the Commission on Health of the Public and Science. This year’s winner will receive two nights’ lodging and transportation (including airfare) to the 2021 Congress of Delegates meeting in Kansas City, Mo., in late September. The winner will also receive a plaque from the AAFP President during an on-stage ceremony at the Congress.

Past Winner Reflects on Award

For some, receiving the Public Health Award can be a catalyst to pursue other opportunities. Jonathan Temte, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., told AAFP News how receiving the award has influenced his career.

“I was incredibly honored to be named the recipient of the AAFP Public Health Award in 2018,” Temte said. “The award likely contributed to my decision to apply for the position of associate dean for public health and community engagement at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in late 2018.”

Prior to applying, Temte had spent much of his career on work related to immunizations, serving for several years as the Academy’s liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He later became the first family physician to chair ACIP, serving in that role from 2012 to 2015.

After an extensive selection process, Temte was named associate dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in May 2019 and officially started in the position that July.

“As someone who has spent a good portion of the past year involved with COVID-19 response on a local, state and national level, I look at the recognition by the AAFP as a sentinel event in moving me to this role at this time,” said Temte.