New Award Honors Recent Graduates

This spring, the Alumni Association will introduce a new avenue to honor remarkable Mailman School alumni with the addition of the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award, recognizing those who have graduated within the last ten years.

"At all stages in their careers, Mailman alumni embody the very best of public health, in service to the School and the greater good," says Kathleen Crowley, president of the Alumni Board. "We want to recognize those who stand out and have gone above and beyond—no matter what year they graduated."

According to the Office of Career Services, recent grads have set themselves apart in myriad ways, such as by going on to assume influential government positions, start businesses, or travel the world to help communities become healthier. They’re also coming back to the Mailman School to serve on panels, lead or assist research projects, attend networking events, and give career advice to current students. 

The Outstanding Recent Alumni Award joins another prize given by the Alumni Board, the Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence. Established in 2009 and serving as a testament to the legacy of Dean Allan Rosenfield, the Rosenfield Award is given to a leader in the field of public health who is also making exceptional contributions to the Mailman School community. Past winners include public health luminaries Paul Brandt-Rauf (2015), Ilise Zimmerman (2013), David Michaels (2012), Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim (2011), and Thomas Frieden (2009).   

Crowley and the rest of the Alumni Board see no shortage of impressive candidates for the Rosenfield Award. Every year, the deciding committee, which is comprised of alumni and administration members, struggles to narrow the field and select a winner from so many qualified graduates. That’s especially true for the more recent alumni: many of the nominees are achieving remarkable accomplishments in the field of public health, but may not have the years of experience needed to be in the running for the Rosenfield Award—which is where the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award comes in. 

The call for candidates for both the Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence and the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award is open now. If you know of an alumnus making a difference in the field of public health and actively involved in the Mailman community, nominate them! Email bj2180@columbia.edu to request a nomination form and submit it by February 19, 2016.