Alumni Awards

Gaylord Anderson Leadership Award

The Gaylord Anderson Leadership Award is the highest award given to School of Public Health alumni. It recognizes well-rounded, exceptional leaders with a commitment to the advancement and future of the public health field. 

Joan Dodgson specializes in parent and child health using community-based, participatory research methods. She works in partnership with diverse groups of people, including Indigenous and Native Hawaiian communities and Asian and African American populations, using culturally-tailored approaches to decrease barriers to breastfeeding. She was formerly the Patricia & James R. Hemak Endowed Professor of Maternal Child Nursing at St. Louis University.

Alumni Award of Merit

The Alumni Award of Merit honors exceptional service in public health.

Kis Robertson-Hale oversees the science behind the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s regulatory mission of ensuring safe meat, poultry, and egg products. In 2024, Hale was appointed by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service to serve as the Chief Veterinary Officer. In this role, she advises the Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human on issues related to veterinary public health and the assignment and deployment of veterinary officers.

Alumni Innovator Award

The Alumni Innovator Award recognizes a graduate who has made, developed, or implemented innovative ideas, approaches, or solutions to public health problems.

Toni Toledo has worked in the field of nutrition and health promotion as a licensed dietitian for over 35 years. Toledo is an adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University, an award-winning health podcaster, and runs a small nutritional health practice. She also recently collaborated with chefs to develop meals with the nutritional requirements to meet the food-as-medicine approach to health improvement.

Emerging Leader Award

The Emerging Leader Award is presented to an alum who has made a significant impact in their profession or community at large within 10 years of graduating from the School of Public Health. 

Amira Adawe is a public health researcher whose research interests include women’s and children’s health, environmental justice, and reducing chemical exposures. She is the founder and executive director of the Beautywell Project, a nonprofit organization that aims to combat the use of skin-lightening products that contain mercury. Adawe previously managed the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet for Governor Mark Dayton, where she worked on early childhood policies and systems using an equity lens.

Outstanding Mentor Award

The Outstanding Mentor Awards recognizes individuals who made exceptional contributions to the career and professional development of multiple students through the SPH Mentor Program.

Neil Carlson has worked as a safety technician and a public health specialist for over 35 years. He teaches industrial hygiene for construction for the U of M Center for Construction Management. He is President of N.G. Carlson Analytica Inc., providing industrial hygiene consulting for indoor air investigations, fungal, and particle analysis. He enjoys mentoring and providing internship opportunities for industrial hygiene students. He has published research with graduate students on ergonomics, building water damage, respirator research, and emergency response to explosions in sewer systems.