APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity presented its annual Excellence in Climate Leadership Awards, which honor public health organizations and individuals whose work aims to combat climate change and mitigate its effects on health, at the 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo in October.

The Center for Climate, Health and Equity presents awards in three categories: to an APHA-affiliated public health association, an APHA member group and up to six individual APHA members.

“It’s always exciting to see what innovative climate solutions these public health leaders are putting into action, and these awards recognize their dedication to reducing the negative health impacts of climate change,” Katherine Catalano, MS, deputy director of the Center for Climate, Health and Equity told The Nation’s Health.

The Maine Public Health Association was awarded for its efforts to educate communities about how they can be prepared for extreme weather and climate events. Since 2020, the Maine Public Health Association has been co-leading the Maine Climate Council’s Community Resilience Working Group. More recently, the Maine Public Health Association updated the state’s climate action plan and organized the state’s first Healthcare Systems and Climate Learning Collaborative.

Future plans for the organization include working on a project funded by a grant from the Seattle Foundation that will equip stakeholders with resources and information they need for community outreach on climate resilience.

The Occupational Health and Safety Section received an award for its involvement in advocating for a new rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect workers from heat. Section members gathered comments and urged OSHA to create the strongest rule possible. Occupational Health and Safety Section members were also instrumental in Maryland becoming the sixth sate to propose a heat standard for workers. The Section also helps workers safely respond to climate-related natural disasters and extreme weather events.

Individual awardees were:

• Karen D. Liller, PhD, CPH, recognized for work as director of the Activist Lab at the University of South Florida.

• Gerri A. Cannon-Smith, MD, MPH, awarded for more than 30 years of advocating for children’s health and the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.

• Rezaul Karim Ripon, awarded for climate-focused activities in Bangladesh, including outreach to researchers and students.

• Oluwole Olakunle Ajayi, a community health worker focused on equitable health solutions and environmental justice for marginalized communities.

• Elizabeth Williamson, PhD, awarded for climate and health communications work with the Washington State Department of Health.

• Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah, MPH, awarded for addressing public health issues through climate-focused initiatives as founding director of the Public Health Microbiology Foundation.

Photo caption: Susan Harris, EdD, founder and chair of the New York State Public Health Association's Climate Committee, speaks at the Excellence in Climate Leadership Awards at APHA's Annual Meeting and Expo in October. (Photo by EZ Event Photography)