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Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards
The 2023 Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards Grand Rounds and Awards Ceremony was held on May 2 as a hybrid event. The keynote address, titled “Revisiting the Highs and Lows of Public Health Practice,” was presented by David Satcher, Ph.D., M.D.
Dr. Satcher is the founding director and senior advisor at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the 16th Surgeon General of the United States and former Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.
This event was jointly organized by the Center for Community Health & Prevention and the UR Clinical & Translational Science Institute's Office of Health Equity Research.
Watch the keynote address and award ceremony!
2023 Awardees
Please join us in congratulating this year’s Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awardees!
Staff Awardees (Joint)

Wendy Hou, D.N.P., R.N.; Christine Maness, M.S., R.N. (Left to Right)
Coordinators of “Little Shots, Big Protection: A Team Providing COVID-19 Vaccine for Our Community’s Children;” assistant directors of Pediatric Nursing at Golisano Children’s Hospital
Junior Faculty Awardees (Joint)
Andrew Cohen, Ph.D.; Allison Stiles, Ph.D.; Corey Nichols-Hadeed, J.D. (Left to Right)
Co-directors for “EACH Youth in the RCSD;” faculty in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry
Senior Faculty Awardee
Michael D. Mendoza, M.D., M.P.H.
9th Commissioner of Public Health for Monroe County, NY; professor in the Department of Family Medicine
Established in 2010, the Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards recognizes University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) faculty and staff for significant contributions to the health of our communities through research, teaching, practice, and/or service programs.
The awards reflect the mission of the Center for Community Health & Prevention and the URMC to develop and expand community-university partnerships that support community-engaged research and interventions that reduce health inequities and improve communities' health. Awards are made based on work done in the greater Rochester area and Finger Lakes region.
Efforts to improve the health of the Rochester community are deeply rooted in the history of the University of Rochester. It started in the 1920s, when the Medical Center’s original benefactor, George Eastman agreed to fund a medical school with the caveat that the school use its skills and talents “to make Rochester one of the healthiest communities in the world.” His vision has shaped an enduring legacy of commitment to improve the health of the Rochester community.
The CCHP appreciates the support of our partners in the UR Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Office of Health Equity Research and the Department of Public Health Sciences.



Past Events
Presented virtually on April 4, 2022 the 13th annual Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards honored three URMC faculty and staff for their contributions to advancing community health and health equity in our region.
Sidney Hankerson, M.D., M.B.A., associate professor and vice chair for Community Engagement in the Department of Psychiatry and director of Mental Health Equity Research in the Institute for Health Equity Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, presented the keynote address "Leveraging Community Engagement to Promote Mental Health Equity."
The 2022 award recipients were:
Senior Faculty Awardee
Catherine Cerulli, J.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry; Director of the Susan B. Anthony Center; Director of the Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization
Junior Faculty Awardee
Suzie Noronha, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Director of the pediatric sickle cell program at Golisano Children’s Hospital
Staff Awardee
Kelly McDermott, M.S.
Community Liaison for The Hoekelman Center at Golisano Children’s Hospital
Watch the keynote address and award ceremony
Past Recipients
See a full list of former Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement awardees.
Questions: If you have any questions, please contact us at
SatcherAward@urmc.rochester.edu or call the Center for Community Health & Prevention at (585) 602-0801.