Each year, the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) honors young professionals currently working in the field of community health. Community health centers and primary care associations nominate dedicated young public health professionals who exemplify the mission and vision of Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers for community health and human rights.
“The Emerging Leader Award is designed to highlight and share the accomplishments of exceptional young members of the community health center movement,” said Sara Rosenbaum, JD, the Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and founder of the Geiger Gibson Program at the Milken Institute SPH. “This year’s winners represent the next generation of leaders who are advancing the core mission of community health centers.”
Feygele Jacobs, President and CEO of the RCHN Community Health Foundation, whose ongoing gift supports the activities of the Geiger Gibson Program, added, "the Emerging Leaders selected each year represent the future of health centers. The policy and program advocates, clinicians, health educators, and clinic administrators recognized each year truly will become the next generation of senior leaders."
This year, 15 Emerging Leaders from all over the country were selected from a competitive pool of applicants and recognized at an award ceremony held April 1 during the National Association of Community Health Centers 2017 Policy and Issues Forum in Washington, DC. The award recipients are listed below. Learn more about the work these emerging leaders do by visiting their CHroniCles profiles.
2017 Emerging Leader Award Recipients
Phillip Ashley, MHA, MPH
Family Health Center
Columbia, MO
Christopher Baumert, MD
RiverStone Health
Billings, MT
Kristen Bigelow-Talbert, MSHM
Bi-State Primary Care Association
Montpelier, VT
Nataly Castro, BS
Lone Star Family Health Center
Conroe, TX
Katie Clay, BS, BA
HRHCare
Peekskill, NY
Miranda Cox Cvitkovich, MSN, CNM
Denver Health and Hospitals
Denver, CO
Nieves Gomez, CMPE, MPA, MSW
Columbia Basin Health Association
Othello, WA
Kari R. Hexem, DMD, MPH
Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers
Philadelphia, PA
Dana M. Kelly, MBA
Erie Family Health Center
Chicago, IL
Adrienne Meier, RN, BSN
Chicago Family Health Center
Chicago, IL
Katie Owens, BA
Iowa Primary Care Association
Urbandale, IA
Matt Percy, MD
Mountain Family Health Centers
Rifle, CO
Kristen Pieper, BA
Colorado Community Health Network
Denver, CO
Frannie Pryor, MSW, LCSW, LADC
Community Health Centers, Inc.
Midwest City, OK
Carlos A. Salgado, MD
Community Health of South Florida, Inc.
Miami, FL
