A Time to Celebrate Public Health

ColoradoSPH wrapped up its academic year with an awards banquet last week and convocation this week. Many special honors were conferred and special guests, such as Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera and former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, were in attendance.

More than 200 students earned their degree on Monday. As McCarthy told the graduating students, “No matter where you live, what you choose to do next, or which political party you prefer - don’t just sit around endlessly bemoaning the present - get busy. Because public health work has never been for the faint of heart and no one came to this school thinking it would be a cake walk.”

At the award’s banquet, more than a dozen people earned awards for research, leadership, and community impact. Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera spoke of the importance of public especially in Colorado. 

She was named the honorary inductee for the Delta Omega chapter at the School. Her advocacy work includes:

• She sponsored legislation to establish a Colorado Breast and Women’s Reproductive Cancers Fund and a donation checkoff on Colorado’s income tax forms for the fund.  
• She introduced legislation (that was signed into law) creating a public awareness campaign for cervical cancer vaccination and required Medicaid and private insurance to cover the cost of the vaccination.  
• During her service on the House Health and Human Services Committee she sponsored legislation (that was signed into law) to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to cancer patients who participate in clinical trials.
• She helped extend the Colorado Clean Indoor Act to cover casinos.
• She supported bills adopting the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including a state health insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion, and passed a bill extending the state breast and cervical cancer treatment fund and program for 10 years.

For a list of award winners, please visit our annual awards webpage.

For photos from these events, click here or visit: flic.kr/s/aHBqjCeXtZ