46 Immunization Advocates Receive National Recognition for Contributions to Vaccine Access

(PRUnderground) August 8th, 2024

Forty-six immunization advocates across the country have been named Immunization Champion for their outstanding efforts to promote immunization in their state, city, or territory. This prestigious award, hosted by AIM and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), acknowledges the outstanding efforts of individuals who go above and beyond ensuring vaccination access in their communities and increasing their community’s immunization rate coverage.

The 2024 Immunization Champion Award winners (read their full profiles here), organized by jurisdiction, include:

• Alaska: Ashley Bethel – Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
• American Samoa: Dottie Tuisamatatele – American Samoa Department of Education
• Arizona: Angela Valdez-Huizar, MD – Phoenix Children’s Hospital Division of Primary, Complex, and Adolescent Medicine
• California: Michelle Contreras, MA, CPT – Indian Health Council
• Chicago: Dheeraj Mahajan, MD, MBA, MPH, FACP – Chicago International Medicine Practice and Research
• Northern Mariana Islands: Heather Pangelinan, MS – Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation
• Colorado: Hector Frisbie, MD – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Champions for Vaccine Equity Program
• Connecticut: Fred Santoro, MD, FAAP
• Delaware: Tiffany Holmberg, LPN – Nemours Children’s Health, Pike Creek
• The Federated States of Micronesia: Dorina Fred, MD – Chuuk State Health Services, Division of Public Health, Federated States of Micronesia
• Georgia: Erica Paez, MD – Imagine Pediatrics, P.C.
• Hawaii : Sandra Chang, PhD – Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology & Pharmacology
• Houston: Vanessa Moore, LVN – Legacy Community Health
• Idaho: Karen Sharpnack – Idaho Immunization Coalition
• Illinois: Zoe Zurawski, RN, BSN – Will County Health Department
• Indiana: Connie Heflin – Super Shots
• Iowa: Heather Vande Kieft, PharmD, RPh – Hy-Vee, Inc.
• Kentucky: Amy Gootee, RN – Fairview Community Health
• Louisiana: Catherine O’Neal, MD – Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
• Maine: Margaret Akers, MSN, CNP – Northern Light/ Mercy
• Massachusetts: Theresa Covell, RN, BSN – Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment
• Michigan: Lisa Bade, PharmD – SpartanNash
• Minnesota: Tara Goebel, RN, PHN, MSN, LSN – South Washington County Schools
• Missouri: Kristin Brummel – Hy-Vee, Inc.
• Nevada: Venessa Morfin, PharmD- Albertsons Pharmacies
• New Hampshire: Deborah Milligan, CMA – Ammonoosuc Community Health Services
• New Mexico: Daisy Maldonado, BA, MEc – Community Action Agency of Southern NM
• New York City: Susan Bayh-Martino, RN, MBA, CIC – Northwell Health
• North Carolina: Christoph Diasio, MD, FAAP – Sandhills Pediatrics
• North Dakota: Joan Galbraith, BS – CHI St. Alexius Medical Center
• Ohio: Jenna Everett, RN – OhioHealth Dublin Family Medicine School-Based Health Clinic
• Oklahoma: Christy Stewart, APRN, CNP – Estrellitas Pediatrics
• Oregon: Sallie Dean, NCMA – Aviva Health
• Pennsylvania: Jenni Black, MS, PMP – Union Community Care
• Philadelphia: Patricia Hewson, CRNP – A.D.R.O.P Unity Clinic
• Puerto Rico: Hector Villanueva, MD –HealthproMed
• Rhode Island: Henrietta White- Holder, MA – Higher Ground International Rukiya Center
• San Antonio: Hala El Maraghy, MD – Full Care Pediatrics
• South Carolina: Marvella Ford, PhD – Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Cancer Center
• South Dakota: Sara Hicks, PharmD – Lewis Drug Stores
• Tennessee: Theodore Lyons II, PharmD – Shot Rx
• Vermont: Heather Skeels – Bi-State Primary Care Association
• Virgin Islands: Janney Ferrol-Hawley, RN, BSN, MSN – Department of Health Virgin Islands
• Virginia: Carolyn Moneymaker, MD, FAAP – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
• Washington: Jazel Bautista, RPh – Acts Pharmacy and Healthcare Services
• Wisconsin: Zoua Yang, PharmD – Wausau Family Pharmacy

Immunization Champion award recipients are selected by their jurisdiction’s immunization program from a pool of health professionals, coalition members, community advocates, and other immunization leaders. Immunization programs across the U.S. and affiliated territories coordinated the nomination process and submitted their chosen awardee to AIM for final review. One winner is selected in participating states, cities, and territories.

“The Immunization Champion awards celebrate community members who have a passion for keeping us all safe from vaccine-preventable diseases. AIM and its members proudly acknowledge the hard work and commitment to immunization that these 46 winners have repeatedly demonstrated,” said AIM Executive Director Claire Hannan.

About Association of Immunization Managers

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association, is dedicated
to establishing a nation free of vaccine-preventable disease. AIM members are the leaders of
state, local, and territorial immunization programs—directing the public health efforts designed to
keep children and adults vaccinated and protected against disease. Since 1999, AIM has
provided a national voice for immunization programs and a forum for program managers to learn
from each other, confront challenges, and achieve success. Since its inception, AIM has gathered
and shared information with its members on policy implementation, legislative issues,
programmatic successes, and more. For more information on AIM, please
visit www.immunizationmanagers.org.

Note: The inside story of the race to save lives and end a pandemic is featured in a new book
entitled Vaccinating America, available now from the American Public Health Association Press.
Brent Ewig, AIM’s Chief Policy and Government Relations Officer, is a co-author.

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Original Press Release.