NACDD Announces Impact Award Winners and New Board of Directors

ATLANTA, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) announced the winners of the 2023 Impact Awards as well as its new Board of Directors during the Annual Business Meeting held Sept. 26.

The Impact Awards are nominated by NACDD Members and selected by a committee who evaluate the applications to identify the greatest impact on chronic disease prevention and control and health promotion.

"The passion, dedication, and innovation shown by NACDD Members across our states and territories is truly inspiring! We are honored to recognize the invaluable and impactful work of these awardees in the field of public health," said Associate At Large Director Leslie McKnight, PhD.

The awardees are:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Jennie Hefelfinger, Vice President of NACDD's Center for Advancing Healthy Communities.

Rising Star Award: Janice Kaelin-Kee, Senior Health Program Coordinator at New York State Department of Health.

Mentor Award: Venise White, Statewide Training Administrator and Immediate Past President of the Florida Public Health Association.

Health Equity Champion Award: Guam Bureau of Non-Communicable Disease, Division of Public Health, Department of Public Health & Social Services

Chronic Disease Innovator: Utah Healthy Places Index Mapping Team, Utah Department of Health and Human Services

Community Impact Award (Individual): Melliza C. Young, MD, MSGH, CDCES, a health consultant based in Guam and a contractor with NACDD's Center for Public Health Practice and the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Collaborative project. 

Community Impact Award (Chronic Disease Unit): Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Diabetes Prevention and Control Program

Joseph W. Cullen Excellence Award: Douglas Jutte, Founder of Build Healthy Places Network.

Learn more about the winners. 

New Board Members Elected

This year, NACDD's Representative Members have selected a new President-Elect and two new At Large Directors. The new term will begin Oct. 1, 2023.

Kristi Pier, MHS, MCHES, the Director of the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at the Maryland Department of Health, has completed her term as Board President and will now serve as Past President.

"We are incredibly thankful to Kristi for her service and dedication to NACDD. She led several important initiatives, including her President's Challenge, Finding a Way Forward: Resilience Across the Socioecological Model. Last year, she also hosted an inspiring podcast series," said NACDD CEO John. W. Robitscher.

The new Board President, Bala Simon, MD, DrPH, MPH, FAAFP, is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and State Chronic Disease Director at the Arkansas Department of Health.

Lea Susan Ojamaa, MPH, was elected as President-Elect. Ojamaa is a Deputy Director for the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The newly elected At Large Directors are:

• Victoria Ballares, MSN, DNP, FNP, BLS, a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner in Guam.

• Margaret K. Chaykin MPH, CHES, RDN, CD, is the Cardiovascular Consultant for the Washington State Department of Health. She also serves as Chair-Elect on NACDD's Health Equity Council.

Read the full Board announcement.

Media Contact: Stacey Evans, [email protected]

SOURCE National Association of Chronic Disease Directors