Dorothy Nyswander Health Equity Award

This award is given each year to recognize an individual or group who embodies and promotes health equity through research, practice, and/or teaching.

This individual or group uses activism in institutionalizing health equity that:
  • Actively engages in initiatives that promote equality and justice for all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, or physical ability.
  • Advocates for and initiates dialogue and action to address health injustices affecting marginalized communities.
  • Participates in activities that endorse education as a means of individual and community advancement and growth.
  • Views poverty as a societal responsibility and from an ecological perspective.
Summer/Fall – applications accepted July through October. This award is presented to during SOPHE’s Annual Conference.

Learn more and apply

Dr. Dorothy B. Nyswander pioneered health education, mentored many public health leaders, and had an illustrious career spanning more than six decades at international, national, regional, and community levels. Dr. Nyswander was ahead of her time in advocating for health equity and justice for ALL people, and was one of the first to introduce the concept of an “Open Society.” One of her first community health initiatives included setting up day care centers during World War II for women working in defense plants. Dr. Nyswander passed away on December 18, 1998, at the age of 104.