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2012 OPHA Annual Conference & Meeting - Award Winners

December 10, 2012 -- This year was OPHA’s 68th Annual Conference & Meeting, the largest conference ever hosted by Oregon Public Health Association. With the participation of over 500 individuals joining together on October 8th and 9th in Corvallis, OR to discuss, learn and network over the diversity of factors that affect Oregon’s health, OPHA explored the latest issues, trends, research and opportunities in public health today.
December 10, 2012

December 10, 2012 -- This year was OPHA’s 68th Annual Conference & Meeting, the largest conference ever hosted by Oregon Public Health Association. With the participation of over 500 individuals joining together on October 8th and 9th in Corvallis, OR to discuss, learn and network over the diversity of factors that affect Oregon’s health, OPHA explored the latest issues, trends, research and opportunities in public health today.

Each year, OPHA presents awards to fellow OPHA members, colleagues and community members that have contributed to public health in Oregon. All of the nominees were exceptional in their commitment to improving the public’s health and have made a positive difference for Oregonians. The 2012 OPHA Award Winners are:

Lifetime Achievement: Thomas Aschenbrener This award is given to a person who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to public health in Oregon.

Thomas recently retired as president of the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) in Portland, Oregon, which was organized under his leadership in 1997 and currently has combined assets of roughly $70 million. In this role, Thomas created a rich, unique, and lasting legacy of achievement for public health in Oregon, including: leading a comprehensive and seven year effort to address the nursing shortage in our state and to improve nursing skills; supporting and advancing the governmental public health sector especially in regards to their effective participation in a reformed health care environment, and; creating the Kaiser Permanente Community Fund (KPCF) in 2004, a $28 million NWHF-KPCF partnership fund that supports community-driven initiatives to address social determinants of health. Thomas explains, “We all need to continue working to educate the public and political leadership about their role in advancing the public’s health too. Our voices need to ring in unison about public health, and the 10 essential services. Our voices need to remind the nation that a strong public health network is key to a cost efficient system of American Health Care” (Oct. 9, 2012).

Policy Champion of the Year: Upstream Public Health This award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to advancing public health policy in Oregon.

This year Upstream Public Health, in conjunction with Pew and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, conducted a comprehensive Health Impact Assessment on how federal school nutrition standards for vending machines and student stores will impact student diets and school revenue. They also worked with the Transportation Health Equity Network to advocate for healthy and fair transportation policies. Most recently, Upstream held hundreds of meetings with community organizations, and gained endorsements from 80 organizations, including many of the region's social justice and health organizations to propose to the city council a plan for community wide fluoridation.

Emerging Leader: Danielle Bailey This award is given to a person who has demonstrated leadership, innovation, and creativity in the beginning of his/her public health career.

Danielle Bailey & Elena Andresen

Danielle has worked for the Oregon Office on Disability and Health for the last 5 years. She is a well a known leader and expert within Oregon and nationally, on the topic of Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities. With national and state partners she developed an emergency preparedness toolkit and training that has provided more than 800 Oregonians with disabilities, families, services providers, educators and first responders with the knowledge and tools to prepare for an emergency and ensure all preparations meet the needs of people with disabilities.



About Oregon Public Health Association

OPHA provides learning opportunities for public health professionals and the broader community and advocates for policies that protect and promote the health of all Oregonians. We succeed by bringing together the power of our members with community organizing, coalition building, public and professional education, and advocacy.

OPHA was founded in 1944 by a group of volunteers committed to the promotion of public health in Oregon and was incorporated as a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit association in 2000. We are an affiliate of the American Public Health Association, the largest association of public health professionals in the nation. For 68 years, OPHA has been Oregon's public health leader, bringing together professionals and volunteers to speak and act for health in Oregon.

Please visit the following links to learn more about Oregon Public Health Association or the 2012 OPHA Annual Conference & Meeting.

Or contact us directly: Josie Henderson Oregon Public Health Association 818 SW Third Avenue, #1201
Portland, OR 97204
503-719-5600
[email protected]

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