The Frank A. Calderone Prize in Public Health is the most prestigious

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

in the field of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

. It is given every two years by the

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Columbia University. Located on the Columbia University Medical Center campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, the school ...

to an individual who has made a "transformational contribution" in the field. The first Calderone Prize was awarded in 1992.

History

Established in 1986, the award is given to an individual who has "accomplished work of extraordinary distinction in the field of

or made a specific discovery or contribution that has had long-term national or global implications in such areas as

communicable disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

environmental health Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment affecting human health. In order to effectively control factors that may affect health, the requirements that must be met in ...

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and/or

behavioral medicine Behavioral medicine is concerned with the integration of knowledge in the biological, behavioral, psychological, and social sciences relevant to health and illness. These sciences include epidemiology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, physiolo ...

health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...

, or any aspect of

health promotion Health promotion is, as stated in the 1986 World Health Organization (WHO) Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, the "process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health." Scope The WHO's 1986 Ottawa Charter for Healt ...

disease prevention Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...

." The prize is named after Dr. Frank A. Calderone, who after serving as the first deputy health commissioner of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from 1943 to 1946, became a leading figure in the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO) during its formative years. In 1947, under Dr. Calderone's direction as Medical Administrator at the headquarters of the World Health Organization, the newly-formed organization led a successful global cholera vaccination program. The following year, as the WHO grew to include 58 member countries, Dr. Calderone became the organization's Chief Technical Liaison Officer. He was later appointed as Medical Director of the health service of the

United Nations Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat (french: link=no, Secrétariat des Nations unies) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the a ...

, a position which he held from 1951 to 1954.

Entry and prize consideration

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health entrance

Candidates are nominated for The Frank A. Calderone Prize in Public Health by a select group of public health professionals. The award recipient is then chosen from among all nominees by a nine-member selection committee comprising, but not limited to, the following representatives: * The current dean of the

Mailman School of Public Health The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Columbia University. Located on the Columbia University Medical Center campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, the school i ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(chair of the committee) * The president, or president-elect, of the Association of Schools of Public Health * A representative from at least one prominent foundation * A representative from the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

* An editor of a prominent public health journal * A previous prize winner * A government representative (for example, the

Commissioner of Health of the City of New York The Commissioner of Health of the City of New York is the head of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The commissioner is appointed by the Mayor of New York City, and also serves on the city's Board of Health with the chairperson ...

) * Two representatives from the Calderone family

Laureates

Source
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

References

External links

Official website
{{Columbia Awards established in 1992 Awards and prizes of Columbia University