ASPPH Early Career Research Excellence Award
The ASPPH Early Career Research Excellence Award recognizes early-career investigators making significant research contributions.
Congratulations to the 2026 ASPPH Award Winner
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 assistant or associate professor at an ASPPH-member, CEPH-accredited school/program
- Within 10 years of final formal training (excluding postdoctoral research)
- 5-10 years of public health research 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
Amanda K. Gilmore, PhD
Georgia State University School of Public Health
2024
Chantel L. Martin, PhD, MSPH
University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
2023
Lauren E. McCullough, PhD MSPH
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
2022
Amanda Fretts, PhD, MPH
University of Washington School of Public Health
2021
Joseph Lewnard, PhD
University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health
2020
Rachel R. Hardeman, PhD, MPH
University of Minnesota School of Public Health
2019
Brandon Marshall, PhD
Brown University School of Public Health
2018
Olivia A. Wackowski, PhD, MPH
Rutgers School of Public Health
2017
Stephanie Brooke Wheeler, PhD, MPH
University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
2016
Matthew Freeman, PhD, MPH
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
2014 – 2015
Solveig Cunningham, PhD, MSc
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
2013
Jared M. Baeten, MD, PhD
University of Washington School of Public Health
2012
Dana Dolinoy, PhD, MSc
University of Michigan School of Public Health
2011
Lauren Wise, ScD
Boston University School of Public Health
2010
Jane Kim, PhD, MSc
Harvard University School of Public Health
2009
Lia Fernald, PhD, MBA
University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health