The following awards will be presented during the Awards Ceremony on July 15, 2021.
Jeffrey P. Koplan Award for Excellence in Poster Scientific Presentation
The Jeffrey P. Koplan Award for Excellence in Poster Scientific Presentation was established in 2014 in honor of Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, former Director and 26-year veteran of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for his outstanding contributions to improving public health globally and his commitment to excellence in scientific research, analysis, and presentation. The Jeffrey P. Koplan Award is presented to the winner of the scientific poster presentation that most effectively emphasizes the results of an investigation and its impact on public health.
Dr. Koplan is a Past-President of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes. He currently serves as Vice President for Global Health at Emory University and is the former Director of the Emory Global Health Institute, an organization created to advance Emory University’s efforts to improve health around the world. Before assuming this position, Dr. Koplan was Vice President, Academic Health Affairs for Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and Director of CDC.
Dr. Koplan has served on many advisory groups and consultancies in the U.S. and overseas and has written more than 200 scientific papers. He served as a trustee of Yale University, and is currently on the boards of the Marcus Family Foundation, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc., and HealthMPowers.
William H. Foege Award for Excellence in Oral Scientific Presentation
The William H. Foege Award for Excellence in Oral Scientific Presentation was established in honor of Dr. William H. Foege, the renowned epidemiologist, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) credited with devising the global strategy that led to the eradication of smallpox in the late 1970s. The award is the highest FETP International Nights honor presented for the best oral presentation.
Dr. Foege is an Emeritus Presidential Distinguished Professor of International Health at Emory University and served as CDC Director from 1977 to 1983. Dr. Foege founded The Task Force for Child Survival (later renamed The Task Force for Global Health) and served as its Executive Director from 1984-2000. Under Dr. Foege’s leadership, The Task Force for Global Health developed and applied a model of collaboration that resulted in childhood immunization rates in the developing world increasing from 20 to 80 percent in just six years. He has also previously served as a Senior Fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a Director at The Carter Center.
Director’s Award for Excellence in Epidemiology and Public Health Response
This award is presented in recognition of significant contributions toward successful responses to public health emergencies (natural and man-made disasters, disease outbreaks, etc.). Nominees can include FETP or FELTP Resident Advisors who have provided leadership working as part of a response and have been successful in overcoming challenging circumstances. The award is also to recognize excellence in epidemiologic practice or research and contributions that address a public health issue of major importance by applying epidemiologic principles and methods. Nominations can recognize accomplishments that improved human health; made a substantial reduction in burden of disease; or represented innovations to public health practice based on epidemiologic foundations or implementation of epidemiologic approaches. Recognized contributions should be practical, explicit, and applied rather than theoretical or implicit.
Sara Lowther FETP Memorial Award
The Sara Lowther FETP Memorial Award provides support to a fellow or recent graduate of a Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) to conduct a project that makes significant contributions to infectious disease prevention and control in their country. The award honors the memory of Dr. Sara Lowther, who made significant contributions to public health and passed away in May 2020. Dr. Lowther was the acting lead of the Epidemiology Technical Support Unit for FETP at CDC. She was passionate about FETP as a means to develop and mentor young field epidemiologists around the world and build global field epidemiology capacity. The Sara Lowther FETP Memorial Award will be presented annually during the FETP International Nights.
Photo Contest Awards
The FETP International Nights Photo Contest is an annual tradition. This contest gives FETP trainees and graduates the opportunity to convey the impact of their work through compelling photographs taken in the field. A panel of judges from TEPHINET and CDC reviews the submissions and selects the first, second, and third place winners. A fourth place winner is determined via a popular vote on the TEPHINET Facebook page.
