Sandro Galea Receives 2026 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award

ATLANTA, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The CDC Foundation today announced that Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, a population health scientist and physician recognized for advancing public health education and communication, has received the 2026 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award. The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award, first presented in 1992, recognizes a distinguished leader who makes significant contributions to health education and health promotion through program development or delivery, policy, advocacy or research.

This year's award was presented to Galea at the annual meeting of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), where he also delivered a lecture. The CDC Foundation with the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation honored Galea for epitomizing how a public health academician can communicate widely and effectively, by reaching out through multiple and powerful channels.

"Dr. Galea has been a leading voice in public health, helping broaden understanding of the social and structural factors that shape health," said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO, CDC Foundation. "Through his research and his ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and widely, he has helped guide approaches that improve population health."

Galea is the inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of Washington University School of Public Health, the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health and vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives. Before joining Washington University in St. Louis, he served for a decade as the Robert A. Knox Professor and dean of Boston University School of Public Health. Galea previously held leadership roles at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the University of Michigan and the New York Academy of Medicine.

He has distinguished himself as one of public health's most visible communicators, translating complex scientific evidence for broad audiences. In addition to publishing extensively in academic journals, he writes books, opinion pieces and essays, engages with the media and shares insights through public talks and digital platforms. Through these channels, Galea has helped popularize the concept of "consequential epidemiology," emphasizing that public health research should ultimately guide actions and policies that improve population health. His widely read Substack newsletter, "The Healthiest Goldfish," offers weekly reflections on pressing public health issues and explores the social, political and ethical forces that shape health.

"Sandro Galea is one of public health's most visible and effective communicators," said Jonathan Samet, MD, MS, professor of Epidemiology and Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, who nominated Galea for the award. "He brings clear and balanced analysis to the most complex issues affecting population health and reaches audiences well beyond academia. By championing what he calls 'consequential epidemiology,' he has shown how research can guide action that improves health."

Galea is a widely published researcher, author and speaker whose scholarship sits at the intersection of social and psychiatric epidemiology, with a focus on the behavioral health consequences of trauma. Over the course of his career, he has published more than 1,100 peer-reviewed papers, 325 op-eds and authored or edited 25 books.

He has received numerous honors recognizing his scientific contributions, including lifetime achievement awards from the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. Galea is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and currently serves as editor-in-chief of JAMA Health Forum.

The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award was named in memory of Elizabeth Fries, who was a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and co-director of the Massey Cancer Center Outreach Program. She made many important contributions to program development, implementation and evaluation. The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award recipients receive a $50,000 prize. The award and lecture are presented annually at the SOPHE conference, which draws approximately 900 health education researchers, faculty, practitioners and students for the latest research and practice in health education. Founded in 1950, SOPHE's mission is to provide global leadership in health promotion and to promote the health of society.

The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation is a nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1991. The mission of the Foundation is to identify and honor individuals, organizations or institutions that have made great contributions to the health of the public. The Foundation seeks to reward accomplishment rather than promise, practicality rather than theory.

The CDC Foundation is honored to partner with the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation, which established and funds the award. As of 2016, the CDC Foundation manages and administers the Fries Awards for Health, which include the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health and the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award.

About the CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners to support the public health system, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in preventing and responding to threats to health. In this role, we are focused on one priority: building catalytic, flexible and impactful partnerships—with corporations, organizations and individuals—to help improve the health and lives of people in all communities, everywhere. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information.

SOURCE CDC Foundation