The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is pleased to announce the winners of its esteemed 2024 Impact Awards, which were announced during the Association’s Annual Business Meeting on September 17.
“The Impact Awards give our Members the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the incredible daily efforts and successes of their peers,” said NACDD CEO John Robitscher. “The Awards celebrate not just the recipients but the collective efforts of our chronic disease prevention and management community.”
The Impact Awards are nominated by NACDD Members and selected by a committee of Board Members. This year’s Awards Committee was led by Board Treasurer Teresa Aseret-Manygoats, and Board Members Barbara Wallace and Nancy Sutton.
“The award winners this year are truly inspirational individuals who have made tremendous contributions to chronic disease prevention and control, as well as the promotion of healthy lifestyles within their respective communities,” Aseret-Manygoats said. “It’s a powerful reminder of the dedication and impact across our field.”
The 2024 NACDD Impact Awards Winners are:
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Jill Myers Geadelmann, Bureau Chief of Chronic, Congenital & Inherited Conditions at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
Geadelmann has spearheaded chronic disease prevention and management initiatives across Iowa for the last 30 years. She began her work with the Iowa Department of Public Health in 1994. Prior to her work with the Bureau, she worked for the Family Planning Council of Iowa and as a long-term care and private duty nurse.
At the Iowa Department of Health, Geadelmann has been instrumental in expanding the Bureau’s focus to include congenital and inherited conditions and consistently identifies new funding opportunities and program areas to broaden the impact on chronic disease in the state. She provides her staff continuous guidance and support, and has mentored new leaders, ensuring the continuity of public health leadership in Iowa.
Geadelmann has served in numerous advisory committees, boards, and work group roles during her years in public health, including leadership roles on NACDD’s Board of Directors.
Rising Star Awards:
Elizabeth Berardi, Cancer Programs Administrator at the Tennessee Department of Health
Benvinda Santos, Sustainability Manager for the Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke Program at the Rhode Island Department of Health
Elizabeth Berardi has played a pivotal role in expanding access to breast cancer screening for uninsured and vulnerable populations in Tennessee. By recruiting and training clinics across 12 counties, partnering with a mobile mammography unit, and improving referral processes and data quality, she helped increase enrollment sites by 59% and patient numbers by 38%.
Berardi created High-Risk County Snapshots, which showcased the stark racial disparities in some Tennessee counties. By sharing her findings with statewide partners, she fueled the effort to address these disparities, resulting in significant increases in cancer screenings among Black Non-Hispanic and Hispanic women, with some figures even soaring by as much as 143%.
She and her team also partnered with other programs to create innovative statewide campaigns such as the Wear a Little Purple with Your Pink Campaign, which promoted awareness of domestic violence and breast cancer throughout the month of October.
Benvinda Santos has exhibited exceptional leadership and innovative approaches in managing sustainability efforts for evidence-based lifestyle change programs.
With Santos’s leadership, the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke Program was awarded funding to participate in the Medicaid Beneficiary Enrollment Project to increase access to the National Diabetes Prevention Program for Medicaid beneficiaries. She hosted informational meetings and a “Sustainability Summit” and established successful partnerships with various healthcare entities to increase the number of National DPP cohorts offered and improve referral workflows for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries. The Medicaid Beneficiary Enrollment Project Team designed, tested, and evaluated referral workflows that identified more than 3,000 eligible Medicaid beneficiaries and referred over 350 eligible Medicaid beneficiaries by 2023.
Mentor Award:
Pamela Geis, Diabetes Program Coordinator at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Pamela Geis served as a guide for the NACDD Peg Adams Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program in 2015 and colleagues quickly realized her ability to enhance skillsets. She is often called on to provide one-on-one mentoring sessions with colleagues from other State Health Departments, and usually conducts between ten and 12 of these virtual mentoring sessions each year. Geis also has served as co-chair of the NACDD Diabetes Council Leadership Group’s Mentoring Workgroup since 2020.
At the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Geis meets with every new team member to help guide them in their work. In addition, she provides one-on-one monthly meetings with sub-grantees.
Her nomination letter stated, “Pam is generous with her time and knowledge and is always willing to meet with colleagues from across the nation to share successes and challenges. She thoughtfully engages with others, using an open and nonjudgmental approach. Pam has the unique gift of making everyone in a room, virtual or in-person, feel comfortable and welcomed.”
Health Equity Champion Award:
Sara Thuma, Manager of the Asthma Control Program at the Pennsylvania Department of Health
Sara Thuma has been instrumental in addressing asthma disparities in Pennsylvania, particularly in communities with high asthma prevalence among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations. Recognizing that environmental factors at play in these neighborhoods can and do exacerbate asthma, Thuma works closely with epidemiology teams to understand the data and create targeted interventions in communities most in need. She has created numerous fact sheets to explain the complexity of Pennsylvania’s health disparities in short, understandable nuggets, including one on reaching individuals with asthma in historically redlined areas.
Thuma has reinvigorated the Pennsylvania Asthma Partnership and seeks to create partnerships at the community level, particularly in areas that have been historically underserved.
In addition, Thuma facilitated the formation of and chairs the department’s Health Equity Committee, guiding projects like the ROCHI initiative and creating training opportunities for staff on a host of equity topics.
Community Impact Award (Team):
Yap State Comprehensive Cancer Control Program
Martina Reichhardt, Cancer Program Director; Dr. James Edilyong, Yap Memorial Hospital Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialist; Jennifer Palemar, Cancer Program Administrative Assistant; and Kassandra Lelman, Cancer Registrar
Yap State Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, or YCCCP, in the Federated States of Micronesia is recognized for their tireless efforts and exceptional leadership in addressing cervical cancer in their community.
Micronesian women have among the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world and often present with late-stage disease. YCCCP is approaching this issue through health provider training, community outreach, adoption of more resource-appropriate screening methods, and strengthening of data systems. By addressing cultural taboos about sexual health, the program has fostered a more open dialogue and greatly improved vaccination rates across the islands.
Despite the challenging reality of navigating Yap’s dispersed islands, YCCCP and its Immunization Program Partners have effectively managed to vaccinate fifth-grade girls annually. Based on medical modeling projections, using the current screening and treatment strategy and maintaining the current vaccination rate, the WHO HPV elimination goal of four per 100,000 women will be achieved between 2058 and 2066 in Yap.
Community Impact Award (Individual):
Janna Simon, Director of the Center for Policy & Partnership Initiatives at the Illinois Public Health Institute
Simon has been instrumental in establishing Medicaid coverage for the National Diabetes Prevention Program and Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support services in Illinois, with innovative features like increased reimbursement rates and expanded session flexibility for providers.
She has played a key role in statewide initiatives and spearheaded activities such as focus groups, cost analyses, and pilot programs aimed at enhancing the delivery and accessibility of diabetes services for marginalized populations.
Her contributions have made her a go-to resource for others seeking to improve diabetes prevention and management programs within Medicaid. Through her leadership, Simon has significantly advanced health equity and access to care for underserved communities in Illinois.
Joseph W. Cullen Excellence Award:
Dr. Laurence Sperling, former Executive Director of the Million Hearts Initiative, Founder and Director of The Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory University as well as a Professor of Medicine and Professor of Global Health at Emory University
The Joseph W. Cullen Award is presented to an individual outside the traditional public health field who has made outstanding contributions in the field of chronic disease.
Dr. Laurence Sperling is globally respected for his significant contributions in the field of preventive cardiology, which have paved the way for new, innovative approaches.
In 2004 he founded and directs the first and only LDL apheresis program in the state of Georgia.
Voted one of America’s and Atlanta’s top doctors, Dr. Sperling has been an investigator in numerous important clinical trials and has authored many manuscripts, abstracts, and book chapters. He has delivered invited presentations on every continent except for Antarctica.
During his tenure at Million Hearts, he strengthened partnerships across federal agencies and with public health and healthcare organizations. He championed the Million Hearts Hospitals and Health Systems Recognition Program and oversaw the development of the second edition of the Million Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Change Package and other tools that promote the increased access to and use of cardiac rehabilitation.