Battle Creek, MI (BlackNews.com) - Dr. Gail C. Christopher, vice president for programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has been selected as the Society for Public Health Education's (SOPHE) 2009 Honorary Fellow. This award is SOPHE's highest to bestow upon a nonsociety member "who has made significant and lasting contributions to health education and the public's health."
Christopher joins the ranks of SOPHE's Honorary Fellow "hall of fame," which includes former U.S. Surgeon Generals David Satcher and Everett C. Koop; former Centers for Disease Control Director Jeffrey Koplan; and Stephen Schroeder, former president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
She accepted the award and delivered the closing speech to some 450 health education researchers and practitioners who were attending SOPHE's 60th Annual Meeting held November 5-7 in Philadelphia.
"Through Gail's dedication as a researcher, advocate, grant maker and healer, she has made remarkable strides in advancing the health of thousands of underserved, racial and ethnic minorities," says M. Elaine Auld, MPH, CHES, chief executive officer for SOPHE, "and helped to advance the goal of health equity."
As vice president for programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Christopher leads the Food, Health & Well-Being, and Racial Equity programs, and serves on the executive team that provides overall direction and leadership for the Foundation.
"We are thrilled that Gail has been recognized for her research and leadership to reduce the racial and ethnic health disparities that face this nation," said Sterling Speirn, president and chief executive officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. "This well-deserved honor exemplifies her accomplishments in the field as a passionate voice for our most vulnerable citizens."
Christopher is a leader in health policy, with particular expertise and experience in the social determinants of health, health equity, and related public policy issues. She has extensive knowledge and experience in creating a comprehensive approach to wellbeing, and is nationally recognized for her pioneering work to infuse holistic health and diversity concepts into public sector programs and policy discourse.
A prolific writer and presenter, Christopher is the author or co-author of three books, a monthly column in the Federal Times, and more than 250 articles, presentations and publications.
Prior to joining the Kellogg Foundation, Christopher was vice president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, where she led the Joint Center Health Policy Institute, a multi-year initiative created to engage underserved, racial, and ethnic minorities in health policy discussions. Previously, she was guest scholar in the governance studies department at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and executive director of the Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass.
She has also launched, led, and managed three public commissions. Under her sponsorship, the landmark Dellums Commission research into conditions faced by young men of color produced policy recommendations to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. She holds a doctor of naprapathy degree from the Chicago National College of Naprapathy in Illinois.
About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Established in 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa. Learn more at www.wkkf.org
About the Society for Public Health Education
SOPHE is a non-profit professional organization founded in 1950 to provide global leadership to the profession of health education and health promotion and to promote the health of society through advances in health education theory and research; excellence in professional preparation and practice; advocacy for public policies conducive to health; and the achievement of health equity for all. For more information, visit www.sophe.org
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