AAFP Public Health Award

The AAFP's Public Health Award recognizes important contributions family physicians make to improving community health at the national, state or local levels. Whether they are addressing complex issues like infectious disease outbreaks or helping spread the word about more routine items such as wellness visits and vaccinations, family physicians make a significant difference in public health. On a daily basis, they tackle the challenges that affect the health of their communities while providing high-quality care.

Public Health Award Nominee Attributes

A career dedicated to leadership in a traditional public health organization (local or state health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health foundations, etc.), or
Going beyond patient care responsiblities to advocate for the health of the public, engage their community, or provide leadership to help resolve major public health issues or epidemics, or
Work to enhance health equity, and promote diversity and inclusion, or
Work to achieve the “triple aim” (improving the health of populations, improving patient experience, and reducing per capita costs).

Selection Criteria

The AAFP is looking for members who went above and beyond their typical job responsibilities, and demonstrated leadership, innovation, and advocacy to improve patient and community health. To be considered, applicants must:

Be a current member of the AAFP.
Submit a complete nomination form (self-nominations are welcome) that describes the nominee’s contribution to at least one of the four described areas.
Submit a separate document (limited to two pages) that chronicles the nominee’s experience in public health leadership and provides clear examples of his or her work; and
Submit a letter of support from their AAFP chapter.

Application Requirements

What You Need

The nomination packet must contain the following:

Nomination Form (download and save to your desktop to complete)
Separate sheet documenting nominee’s public health leadership with clear examples
Letter of endorsement from the physician’s chapter

How to Submit

Email nominations, along with supporting documents, to:

publichealth@aafp.org (Subject line: 2024 AAFP Public Health Award)

Questions? Email the Division of Research, Science and Health of the Public

Judging Process

The winner of the Public Health Award will officially be announced at the AAFP Congress of Delegates meeting in Phoenix. The winner is selected by a panel of the executive committee of the Commission on Health of the Public and Science. If there is no clear winner, the top five nominees will be resubmitted to the judges. A final ranking of the top five will determine the winner.