We’re pleased to announce the recipients of our 2019 HMPRG Awards representing Chicago-area leaders whose work exemplifies Health & Medicine’s mission to promote social justice and challenge inequities in health and health care.
We invite you to join us in honoring our winners at Health & Medicine’s Awards Gala on Sept. 27, 2019 at the Chicago Cultural Center. Tickets and sponsorships are available.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Larry J. Goodman, MD, Rush University Medical Center
A clinician and advocate, Goodman has dedicated his career to transforming the health and health care of Chicagoans through a commitment to providing inclusive, comprehensive care to the community.
Health Award: Mary Black, MS, OTR/L, Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center
Black is an occupational therapist specializing in providing services to refugees and asylum seeker survivors of torture. She is an expert in mental health occupational therapy and trauma-informed care, as well as a mentor for occupational therapy students and promoter of a vision of cultural humility within occupational therapy.
Policy Award: Marlita White, Chicago Department of Public Health
White works to create structural changes in hospitals, communities, the justice system, and the education system in order to address violence and trauma. Her policy efforts focus on creating a trauma-informed city through systems transformation and health equity-focused initiatives.
Policy Award: Jonathan Lavin, AgeOptions (Retired)
During his 45-year career in the field of aging, Lavin has focused on public policy issues to assure older adults are able to live with dignity, including adequate income in retirement, the best possible physical and mental health, opportunities for employment, and comprehensive long-term care services.
Dr. Steve Whitman Research Award: Fernando De Maio, DePaul University
De Maio studies how social factors influence patterns of health as well as works to connect diverse individuals and organizations so they can adapt and learn together to build collective empowerment and nurture health equity.
Medicine Award: Sonia Oyola, MD, ABOIM, University of Chicago and Heartland Health Centers
Oyola has helped broaden the appeal and awareness of holistic integrative medicine and has worked to heal Chicago’s underserved communities through her work as a doctor, teacher, and advocate.
Emerging Leader Award: Latinas/os Buscando Refugio y Optimismo Cuando Hacen Arte; Latinas/os seeking refuge and optimism when doing art (La BROCHA)
La BROCHA collaborates with teaching artists, art therapists, and community organizations to provide a space for older Spanish-speakers living in under-resourced communities with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or dementia to participate in art workshops that enhance the quality of life and foster community for both the elder and their caregiver.
Group Award: Community Behavioral Healthcare Association (CBHA)
One of the largest behavioral health associations in Illinois, CBHA is an association of providers of mental health, substance use, and youth services that promotes access and availability of a comprehensive system of accountable, quality behavioral healthcare services for Illinois’s communities.