ASPPH Research Excellence Award
The ASPPH Research Excellence Award recognizes faculty with a distinguished career dedicated to advancing public health through research.
Congratulations to the 2026 ASPPH Award Winner
2026 Award Recipient
Gregory D. Kirk, MD, MPH, PhD
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Award Criteria
Nominations should include a description of the nominee’s outstanding contributions in:
- Leadership in building institutional excellence in research
- Documented, high-impact scholarly accomplishments
- Contributions that advance health outcomes or public health science
Eligibility
The nominee must have the following:
- Full-time faculty with a primary teaching appointment in an ASPPH-member, CEPH-accredited school/program
- Minimum 10 years of teaching experience
Required Materials
All nominations must contain the following materials:
- Contact information for both the nominee and nominator
- An overview statement (max. 800 words) summarizing the nominee’s qualifications and impact
- The nominee’s curriculum vitae
- Two letters of support, preferably highlighting the nominee’s contributions across multiple dimensions
Award Details
$1,000 Cash Prize
Complimentary registration and travel reimbursement for the ASPPH Annual Meeting
Formal recognition at the ASPPH Awards Luncheon
Commemorative award trophy
Review & Selection Process
Each nomination is reviewed by a dedicated selection committee composed of:
- Previous award recipients
- ASPPH Section leaders
- Reviewers nominated by deans of ASPPH-member institutions
Nominations are scored using a standardized rubric based on:
- Overall impact
- Promise to improve public health
- Strength of supporting letters
- Quality of experience as outlined in the CV
The committee ranks candidates and forwards a recommendation to ASPPH leadership, who determine final awardees.
Past Winners
2025
Velma McBride Murry, PhD, MS
Vanderbilt University Institute for Medicine and Public Health
2024
Connie Celum, MD, MPH
University of Washington School of Public Health
2023
James R. Hébert, MSPH, ScD
University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
2022
Maria Fernandez, PhD
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health
2021
Grace John-Stewart, MD, PhD, MPH
University of Washington School of Public Health