CPHA Awards
2025
Congratulations to the Colorado Public Health Association's 2025 Award Winners!
Award for Excellence in Policy & Advocacy:
The Award for Excellence in Policy and Advocacy is presented to an individual or entity who has made a significant contribution in advancing health equity by improving socio-political determinants of health through organizational, local, state, and national policy and advocacy. Awardees can be external to CPHA and the public health industry.
This award was established in 1988 and is presented to a person or organization for playing a critical role in advocating for policies that support the advancement of public health at either the local, state or national levels
Winner: Johanna Ulloa Giron, MSW
Johanna Ulloa Girón is a visionary public health leader whose work has measurably advanced equity and built lasting capacity in Colorado’s public health movement. A psychologist and social worker from Bogotá, Colombia, Johanna brings more than 20 years of experience building movements and advancing policy. In her current role leading The Colorado Trust’s Colorado Resilience Initiative Policy & Advocacy effort, Johanna has been instrumental in shaping a statewide advocacy infrastructure that centers food access, housing stability, and mental and behavioral health—three systems critical to achieving positive health outcomes for all Coloradans. Under her leadership, three grantee organizations with deep advocacy expertise now coordinate legislative monitoring, rapid response, and capacity building that have already informed bills to expand behavioral health funding and protect affordable housing options in rural counties. Johanna’s approach is both strategic and relational. She convenes cross‑sector partners and ensures those most impacted by inequities—immigrants, communities of color, rural residents—are not only at the table but are leading the conversation. She has instituted feedback loops and technical support that allow grantees to identify and act on emerging policy threats within days, a measurable improvement that has strengthened Colorado’s collective voice on public health policy. Her contributions endure beyond individual campaigns. Johanna is developing new public health leaders by mentoring advocates and creating sustainable advocacy practices within organizations. Grantees have increased their capacity to track policy, mobilize communities, and influence decision‑makers..​​
Award for Innovation in Public Health:
The Award for Innovation in Public Health is presented to an individual, team or organization who has developed an innovative and translatable solution to a significant public health challenge. This may include, but is not limited to, technology innovation, public health practice approach, research project, innovative partnerships.
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This award was established in 1972 in recognition of Colorado Board of Health member P.W. Jacoe for his devotion to duty, his excellence of work, his leadership and contributions to public health.
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Winner: Christine Demont, MPH
Christine Demont deserves to be recognized with the Award for Innovation in Public Health due to her outstanding commitment to the ideals and practice of public health and putting data to action. Her distinguished career in public health led to her current role as Lead Mortality Surveillance Unit Analyst and Epidemiologist in CDPHE’s Vital Statistics Program, where Christine is the lynchpin in unlocking Colorado’s vital statistics and mortality surveillance data. This includes her ongoing development, enhancement and maintenance of CDPHE’s Colorado Health Information Dataset (COHID) and its myriad data dashboards for deaths, births, suicide, fatal drug overdose and homicide. Additionally, Christine authors topical reports on violent death and overdose that serve as essential resources for deeper understanding of the burden of mortality in Colorado’s populations of great and unique need, including veterans, first and last responders, those experiencing homelessness, those released from legal institutions and victims of intimate partner violence, youth and older adults. Not content to rely on a website to do her work, Christine complements online data dissemination through making herself an invaluable human resource, presenting the latest and emerging data at meetings, conferences and in response to follow-up requests. She has become the go-to source of guidance and support in the broad use of these critical health statistics. Indeed, Christine Demont a model public health professional and trusted colleague, whose contributions to innovative data analysis, dissemination and application are undeniable, laudable and worthy of highest recommendation for this award.
Public Health Emerging Leader Award
The Public Health Emerging Leader Award is presented to an individual with 5 years or less experience working and/or in school for a public health profession. This individual has demonstrated outstanding initiative and leadership ability in the public health community.
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Winner: Maddy Linsacum
I am proud to nominate Madysen (Maddy) Linsacum for the Public Health Emerging Leader Award. Since joining Routt County Public Health (RCPH) in 2022, Maddy has shown exceptional initiative, leadership, and adaptability—transforming both our department and community. Originally hired to shape health education programming, Maddy quickly stepped into a leadership role following a team member’s departure. She led the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and developed Routt County’s first Public Health Improvement Plan (PHIP). In months, she gathered stakeholder input, analyzed community data, and delivered an actionable, strategic plan—setting a new standard for our county. As a registered dietitian, Maddy launched inclusive Cooking Matters® classes that serve Spanish-speaking families and individuals with developmental disabilities. She also secured ongoing support through Nourish Colorado, ensuring program sustainability. Maddy founded and leads our Built Environment Coalition to promote walkability, safety, and accessibility. She has united diverse stakeholders to collect data, pursue funding, and implement community projects. She’s also strengthened RCPH’s community presence—representing public health at concerts, farmers markets, Pride events, and Bike to Work/School Day—improving access to services across Routt County. In 2025, Maddy earned her Certification in Public Health, expanding her expertise in systems thinking, communication, and evidence-based planning. Maddy is the embodiment of an emerging leader—skilled, passionate, equity-driven, and deeply community-connected.
Lifetime Distinguished Public Health Service Award
The Lifetime Distinguished Public Health Service Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional public health leadership, made significant and lasting contributions to public health, and has taken an essential role in mentoring other public health professionals throughout their career (currently working or retired).
This Award was inspired by the following retired CPHA Awards:
-The Roy Cleere Distinguished Service Award (est. 1974) who was the director of the Colorado Department of Health for 38 years.
-The Sabin Award (est. 1947) given for achievement in the public health field, in recognition of the outstanding leadership of Dr. Florence Sabin in the promotion of better public health in Colorado.
-The John Muth Award, named in honor of Dr. Muth, who served as CPHA President 1983-1984 and El Paso County Department of Health Director as an award is given to a member of CPHA who has made an outstanding contribution to the Association.
Winner: Terri Richardson, MD
I am honored to nominate Dr. Terri L. Richardson, MD, for CPHA’s 2025 Lifetime Distinguished Public Health Service Award. A physician, trailblazer, and mentor, Dr. Richardson exemplifies the spirit of this award through over 35 years of unwavering commitment to advancing health equity, eliminating disparities, and building a powerful, community-centered public health movement in Colorado. Dr. Richardson has demonstrated an exceptional and sustained dedication to public health, notably as the Vice Chair and Co-Founder of the Colorado Black Health Collaborative (CBHC)—a nonprofit organization that, since its founding in 2008, has become a cornerstone in addressing health inequities among Black/African American communities across Colorado. Through this platform, Dr. Richardson has led initiatives that bridge cultural gaps, dismantle historical healthcare barriers, and place the voice and experience of Black Coloradans at the forefront of care. Her approach to public health is proactive, relational, and deeply informed by historical context. Dr. Richardson’s leadership also reflects CPHA’s core values: advancing public health, improving health equity, and empowering communities. She has invested deeply in mentorship, guiding new generations of Black public health professionals, clinicians, and advocates. Her legacy is visible not only in the programs she leads, but in the people she has mentored and inspired. I can think of no individual more deserving of the CPHA Lifetime Distinguished Public Health Service Award than Dr. Terri L. Richardson. Her impact is profound, her leadership exemplary, and her commitment unmatched.
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Values in Action Award
The Award for Values in Action recognizes an individual or organization whose work exemplifies CPHA’s core values: Advocacy, Connectedness, Health Equity, Racial Justice, and Service. This work is focused on serving marginalized people, such as, but not limited to, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
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Winner: Meladie Lowe, MSW
It is my honor to nominate Meladie Lowe for CPHA’s 2025 Values in Action Award. Meladie exemplifies CPHA’s core values through her unwavering commitment to advancing equity, uplifting marginalized voices, and building sustainable systems of belonging across Colorado's public health landscape. As CPHA’s current Health Equity Officer and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program Manager within CDPHE’s Prevention Services Division, she has demonstrated servant leadership across roles that span therapy, child welfare, domestic violence prevention, dementia care, academia, and systems-level public health strategy. Her most recent contribution, the 2025 Anti-Racist & Health Equity Series, is a bold and visionary initiative she created and curated for CPHA. This nine-session series is a powerhouse of education, engagement, and action. These sessions aren’t just presentations—they are tactical, evidence-based, and designed to equip attendees with practical tools for change. By intentionally uplifting historically excluded communities, Meladie has built a movement rooted in collective liberation and cross-sector collaboration creating a strategic blueprint for how equity work should be done: intersectionally, inclusively, and unapologetically. Meladie’s work is making a measurable and lasting impact on public health in Colorado by elevating urgent public health issues through a lens of systemic accountability and racial justice. She is a powerful voice for advocacy, a champion for connectedness, and a practitioner of racial justice and service in every sense. Meladie is not only carrying CPHA’s values forward—she is helping redefine how we operationalize them as an association and as a field.​​​​​
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Award for Excellence in Community Partnership
(for a non-public health individual or entity)
The Award for Excellence in Community Partnership is given to a non-public health individual or entity that has provided outstanding contributions that improve the heath of the community through public health partnerships and/or collaboration.
This award commemorates Dr. Florence Sabin, a Colorado native, who helped pave the way for women in science and was an outstanding leader in the promotion of public health in Colorado.
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Winner: Dr. Christina Alston
Dr. Christina Alston is advocating for sustainable support of Black women's mental health in Colorado through her groundbreaking initiative, Boulder Black Blossoms, a program for STEM graduate students at CU Boulder. Rooted in public health equity and Black feminist praxis, BBB combats racial isolation and chronic stress by building belonging through culturally grounded peer support, mentorship, and radical self-care. Launched in 2024, BBB uses a “Sista Circle” model to create affirming, trauma-informed spaces where participants are supported emotionally, academically, and culturally. Through activities like healing-centered gatherings, cultural dance, and peer mentorship, the program strengthens key protective factors for mental health. Dr. Alston’s impact is measurable and profound. A pre-post study of 16 participants revealed a statistically significant increase in expressions of belonging across four wellness domains—peer mentorship, cultural healing, emotional support, and radical self-care (t(3) = 13.00, p = .001). Participants reported shifts from survival to collective care: “I now hike, walk, and eat better with other Blossoms holding me accountable.” BBB reflects CPHA’s mission by advancing equity through structural change. Rather than placing the burden of resilience on individuals, Dr. Alston creates institutional models of care that center historically excluded communities. Her approach redefines mental wellness not as self-help, but as community accountability. Dr. Alston’s advocacy is not symbolic—it is strategic, data-driven, and transformative. Through Boulder Black Blossoms, she is building a public health movement rooted in joy, resistance, and healing.
Lillian Wald Award:
Lillian D. Wald (1867–1940) was a nurse, social worker, public health official, teacher, author, editor, publisher, women’s rights activist, and the founder of American community nursing. Her unselfish devotion to humanity is recognized around the world and her visionary programs have been widely copied everywhere.
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The Lillian Wald Award is given to a public health nurse who demonstrates leadership skills among peers and community; has practiced a minimum of 5 years; and is creative, resourceful and innovative in addressing public health concerns in the community. This person is caring in relationships with colleagues and clients, and initiates, implements and evaluates public health interventions that focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and shares public health knowledge with colleagues and the community.
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Winner: Becca Miles
Rebecca “Becca” Miles, BSN, RN Becca’s journey in public health nursing began long before she became a Registered Nurse. A kinesiology grad from the University of Colorado Boulder, she found herself working at a school serving teen moms. It was there, watching the school nurse teach prenatal classes while caring for daycare babies, that Becca knew she wanted to work in community-focused preventive care. She earned her BSN from CU Anschutz in 2004, Becca has now dedicated more than two decades to public health in Colorado. She’s currently enrolled in CU Nursing’s prestigious DNP/MPH dual-degree program, a move that reflects her mission to blend advanced clinical expertise with systemic public health leadership. Becca is a proven leader in Colorado’s Public Health Response: 18 years at Tri‑County Health, including a pivotal leadership role during the COVID‑19 pandemic, training case investigators and launching mass vaccination efforts. Currently, as a Nurse Educator in Arapahoe County’s Immunization Program, she designs and delivers training that ensures her team is ready to protect the community, from chickenpox to measles. At heart, Becca is deeply personal in her public health approach. Her belief is simple yet powerful: when a nurse protects one family, they plant a seed of health across generations. As a mother of four, she truly understands the significance of that act, especially for families new to Colorado or the U.S. She champions systemic thinking, influencing policy and programs so that everyone, regardless of insurance status, can access services. Becca firmly believes every nurse, in any setting.
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​​​​​​​Exemplary Frontier Public Health Nurse Award:
Recognized a Public Health Nurse who has demonstrated exemplary service in a local public health agency located in a Colorado rural/frontier community.
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Winner: Sara McIntosh
It is with deep respect and admiration that I nominate Sara McIntosh, BSN, RN, for the Exemplary Frontier Public Health Nurse Award. As a Nurse Consultant with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), I’ve had the opportunity to witness the remarkable work being done in rural and frontier public health—and Sara is genuinely one of the most outstanding examples of leadership, dedication, and impact I have seen.
Sara transitioned from an ICU Clinical Nurse Coordinator role at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to join Elbert County Public Health—bringing with her not just clinical excellence, but a calm, capable presence and a deep commitment to community health. What she stepped into was not a fully built infrastructure, but rather a vision in progress. Sara was tasked with designing and developing a rural public health clinic from the ground up, including building out the staffing model and integrating clinical services that had never before been offered in the county.
She not only met that challenge—she exceeded it.
In early 2024, Sara was appointed Interim Director of Elbert County Public Health, and by November of that year, she was officially promoted to the position of Public Health Director. In many cases, that leadership role alone would be more than enough. But Sara continues to serve simultaneously as both Clinic Supervisor and Public Health Nurse for infectious diseases, ensuring continuity of care and community trust during a time of growth and transition.
Her commitment to the community is not just administrative—it is deeply personal. She remains directly involved with patients, helping them navigate care, access resources, and feel seen and supported. One particularly moving example was her ability to connect with a patient who had been hesitant and fearful. Through steady presence and deep listening, Sara created a breakthrough moment of trust—showcasing the unique power public health nurses have to meet people where they are.
Sara brings all of this to her work with humility, empathy, and a solutions-oriented mindset. Whether leading her agency, supervising clinical care, or responding to emerging public health concerns, she exemplifies what it means to serve in a frontier community with heart, integrity, and vision.
It is for all these reasons—and many more—that I wholeheartedly nominate Sara McIntosh for the Exemplary Frontier Public Health Nurse Award. She is not only a nurse leader, but a builder of systems, relationships, and hope.
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