Awards

Dr. Holly Atkinson Undergraduate Prize

The Atkinson award is given to the undergraduate student (or students) majoring in public health who best exemplifies advocacy in the public health arena.

Winners:

  • 2022—Marguerite Curtis and Denise Navarrete
  • 2021—Abdoulaye Al Ansar and Tishana Foster
  • 2020—Paul Mokrzycki and Miles Perry
  • 2019—Emily Kumpf and Annabelle Mournet
  • 2018—Caryl English
  • 2017—Chiziterem Onyekwere
  • 2016—Rachel Weitzner
  • 2015—Brianna Isaacson
  • 2014—Alice Gao
  • 2013—Oladoyin Oladeru
  • 2012—Daniel Cohn
  • 2011—Rohini Bhatia and Anupa Gewali

The award was founded by Holly Atkinson, MD, the health care journalist and advocate. A graduate of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Atkinson is a clinical professor and medical student advisor at the CUNY School of Medicine in New York City. Previously, she was the director of the Human Rights Clinic at the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai. In this role, Atkinson founded and directed the Mount Sinai Human Rights Clinic, where asylum seekers who have suffered torture, human trafficking, and other human rights violations are medically evaluated. Atkinson has served on the board of directors of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) for more than 16 years, including four years as president. She is a fellow of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), where she helped launch AMWA’s Physicians Against Human Trafficking initiative.

Dr. Theodore Brown Undergraduate Prize in Health Justice

The Ted Brown award recognizes a graduating senior who excelled in their studies while displaying a deep commitment to promoting justice in health care either through their scholarship, their work on campus, or in the broader community. This award recognizes the legacy of Dr. Brown, a renowned scholar of the history of public health, who inspired generations of Rochester public health students to question and investigate the historical origins of our current health inequities and injustices.

Winners:

  • 2023—Sarah Cushman