ATLANTA, Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashley Levinson was presented with the 2016 Ricardo Azziz PCOS Challenge Advocacy Leadership Award at the fourth annual Southern Regional PCOS Awareness Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to advocacy and public policy efforts that expand access to resources and support for women and girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most neglected, underfunded and underdiagnosed areas of health.

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For over 15 years, Ashley Levinson has been advocating for better education and awareness for women and girls with polycystic ovary syndrome through various organizations. She has also increased public awareness through national media campaigns including her story featured on Mystery Diagnosis for Discovery Health Channel. Her current venture is as Founder of The PCOS #LemonFaceChallenge, a viral campaign aimed at raising public awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Sasha Ottey, Executive Director of PCOS Challenge, Inc., says, "We are proud to present Ashley Levinson with this award, which honors her incredible advocacy work for more than a decade and a half. PCOS is an extremely underfunded area of health, as such, its leaders, like the patients affected, too often receive no recognition and support when it is due and needed. It is our great honor to recognize Ashley's work to increase public awareness and her time in supporting numerous PCOS organizations through her volunteer and advocacy efforts."

Ashley Levinson says, "I am so grateful and honored to be this year's recipient of The Ricardo Azziz PCOS Challenge Advocacy Leadership Award. This award helps continue to push awareness forward by recognizing advocates like myself, which promotes engagement with patients to create better resources, funding and education for the syndrome."

About the Ricardo Azziz PCOS Challenge Advocacy Leadership Award

PCOS Challenge named the advocacy leadership award in honor of Dr. Ricardo Azziz, an international authority on polycystic ovary syndrome and one of the country's most impactful advocates for the PCOS patient community. For the past 25 years, Dr. Azziz has developed an internationally recognized research program which has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health, generated over 500 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and reviews; over 300 abstracts and presentations at national meetings; and nine texts. Dr. Azziz has made major contributions to the field through his research and clinical work as well as his support and advocacy for PCOS patients. Dr. Azziz has been instrumental in enabling events like PCOS Challenge's Awareness Symposia to happen across the country, educating over 1,000 PCOS patients and healthcare professionals a year. PCOS Challenge recognizes the significance of Dr. Azziz's contributions to the PCOS movement with this award.

About PCOS Challenge

PCOS Challenge, Inc. is the largest and most active 501(c)(3) nonprofit support organization advancing the cause for women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, serving nearly 40,000 members. The organization touches the lives of women with PCOS and their supporters each year through television and radio programming, online and offline support groups, grants, health screenings and education and awareness initiatives. Since PCOS Challenge began its programs in 2009, the organization has helped many women find answers that have helped them overcome their struggles with infertility, weight gain, anxiety and depression and reduce their risk for numerous life-threatening related conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Media Contact:
William R. Patterson
PCOS Challenge, Inc.
Telephone: 404-855-7244

SOURCE PCOS Challenge, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pcoschallenge.org