Annual Public Health Leader Award Recipients
1959 - 2009

The Annual Award was established in 1959 to recognize outstanding leadership and achievement in public health in Washington State. It is awarded in response to particular contributions to health in the state. The recipient must at some time have been a resident of Washington, but need not be employed by a health agency or be a member of the Association.  In 2006 the award was renamed the Annual Public Health Leader Award.

1959	Cedric Northrop, MD, TB Control, Washington State Department of Health
1960	Ed Munro, RS, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health
1961	Elizabeth S. Soule, RN, Dean, School of Nursing, University of Washington
1962	J. A. Kahl, MD Washington State Dept. of Health
1963	Helen T. Stritmatter, Aberdeen, Washington
1964	Nora Page Hall, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
1965	Walvin R. Giedt, MD, Director, Public Health Laboratory, DOH
1966	Ernest A. Ager, MD, Washington State Department of Health
1967	A. Evelyn Burke, RN, School of Nursing, University of Washington
1968	John Van Amburgh, RS, Environmental Health Director, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health
1969	None selected
1970	Margaret Mahin RN, MSN, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health
1971	None selected
1972	Donald Peterson, MD, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UW
1973	None selected
1974	Tom Barton, RS, Environmental Health Director, Southwest Washington Health District
1975	Jo McNeil, RN, MN, Seattle-King County Department of Public Health
1976	Abraham Bergman, MD, Harborview Medical Center
1977	Vernon Michael, MD, Health Officer, Benton-Franklin Health District
1978	Rosemary Pittman, RN, School of Nursing, University of Washington
1979	Samuel I. Reed, RS, Chief, Office of Environmental Health, Wash. State Dept. of Social and Health Services
1980	Evelyn Freeman, RN, School of Nursing, University of Washington
1981	Peggy Kopf, RN, MPH, Health Planner, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
1982	John Fish, MS, RS, Director, Department of Environmental Health and Safety, UW
1983	Nancy Cherry, RN, MSPH, Nursing Director, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
1984	William Foege, MD, Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control
1985	Lamont Carstens, Division of Public Health, Wash. State Department of Social and Health Services
1986	Samuel Millam, Jr., MD, Division of Public Health, Wash. State Department of Social and Health Services
1987	Mary Selecky, Administrator, Northeast Tri-County Health District
1988	Edmund Gray, MD, Health Officer, Northeast Tri-County Health District
1989	Mary Luther, MD, Health Officer, Spokane County Health District
1990	Jess Spielhalz, MD, MPH, Washington State Board of Health
1991	The Honorable Dennis Braddock, Representative, Washington State Legislature
1992	Bobbie Berkowitz, RN, PhD, Deputy Director, Washington State Department of Health
1993	William Hagens, JD, Legislative Staff, Washington State Legislature
1994	Maxine Hayes, MD, Assistant Secretary, Washington State Department of Health
1995	Lisa McKenzie, RN, Public Health Nurse, Jefferson County Health & Human Services
1996	John M. Kobayashi, MD, MPH, Director, Communicable  Disease Epi, DOH
1997	James W. Krieger, MD, MPH, Chief, Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit, Seattle-King Co. Dept PH; and James R. Allen, MS, Systems Analyst, Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit, Seattle-King Co. Dept PH
1998	The Honorable Lisa Brown , The Honorable James West, Senators, Washington State Legislature; and The Honorable Suzette Cooke, The Honorable James Kastama, Representatives, Washington State Legislature
1999	E. Russell Alexander, MD, Chief of Epidemiology (retired), Public Health – Seattle & King County
2000	Dave Purchase, Point Defiance AIDS Project
2001	"Tribute to George Hilton"
2002	Jeff Mero, MHA, Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts
2003	Kristen West, MPA, CHOICE Regional Health Network
2004	James L. Gale, MD, MS, University of Washington
2005	None selected
2006	Karen Crouse, BA, Spokane Regional Health District
2007	L. Darrell Cochran, BS, MES, Thurston County Public Health
2008	Jack Thompson, MSW, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, UW
2009	None selected