ASPPH is proud to celebrate the 2026 recipients of the Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service and the Welch-Rose Awards, our highest honors recognizing transformational leadership, institutional excellence, and lifetime achievement in academic public health.
The Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service is presented to Indiana University Indianapolis Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health for exemplifying visionary leadership, deep and mutually beneficial partnerships, and a steadfast commitment to addressing the social determinants of health to improve population well-being. And congratulations are also in order to the finalist of the Spencer Award, Rutgers School of Public Health.
The Welch-Rose Award for Distinction in Public Health is awarded to Dr. Patricia A. Gabow, Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of Denver Health, in recognition of her extraordinary lifetime contributions to improving public health through visionary leadership and lasting impact.
The Welch-Rose Award for Excellence in Academic Public Health Service is presented to Dr. Linda P. Fried, Dean Emeritus of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in recognition of her lifetime of exceptional leadership and enduring contributions to advancing public health education and strengthening academic institutions.
About the Awards
The Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service celebrates sustained, institution-wide excellence in community-engaged education, research, and practice. Established to honor the lifelong commitment to social justice and community engagement of Dr. Harrison C. Spencer, ASPPH’s former President and CEO, this award is the only ASPPH distinction that recognizes an institution rather than an individual.
The Welch-Rose Awards represent ASPPH’s premier lifetime achievement honors. Named in tribute to Drs. Wickliffe Rose and William Henry Welch, whose 1915 report laid the foundation for modern academic public health, these awards recognize careers that have profoundly shaped the field.
As part of our excellence awards, these awardees reflect the highest ideals of public health leadership, service, and impact, and they will be formally recognized at the Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon on March 19 during the 2026 ASPPH Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health. We invite you to join us in celebrating these remarkable leaders and their lasting contributions to improving health for all. Registration is open until March 13.