Two SHSP Students Win Prestigious Healthcare Leaders Awards
Recipients are Edgewood R. Warner II, M.D., M.P.H. candidate Class of 2019, and Jinhee Lee, an M.P.H. student
It was a proud evening for the School of Health Sciences and Practice (SHSP) when two of its exceptional students received two of only three prestigious Healthcare Leaders of New York (HLNY) Achievement Award of Distinction Scholarships. Edgewood R. Warner II, right, M.D., M.P.H. candidate Class of 2019, and Jinhee Lee, an M.P.H. student in the online program, were awarded the prestigious awards and accompanying $1,500 scholarships on, June 5, at the HLNY Gala at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, N.Y.
“It is remarkable that two of our students were selected to win two of the three awards. These are prestigious awards, and it’s a wide range of students who apply from a wide array of backgrounds competing for this award,” explained Denise C. Tahara, M.B.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., associate professor and director of M.P.H. studies. “These awards recognize students who show extraordinary commitment to public health and are healthcare superstars. When they choose these winners they are looking for the crème de la crème.”
The HLNY Achievement award is open to all students enrolled in a public health, public administration, hospital administration or healthcare management/administration program throughout New York State, who are members of American College of Healthcare Executives and a have a minimum GPA of 3.5.
“We can expect to see great things to come from these two students. Edgewood will be a trailblazer in his field; Jinhee already is one,” said Dr. Tahara. Mr. Warner, who plans to make his impact in the realm of gastroenterology and nutritional health, said, “It is a very important milestone in my journey to complete my degree in health policy and management. I trust that this, in combination with my medical degree, will help me to develop into a capable health care provider and administrator that can improve the lives and my patients and my fellow healthcare providers alike.”
As an active duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service who is currently stationed at the National Institutes of Health’s Institute on Drug Abuse, Captain Lee explained, “Receiving the award means that I can realize my full potential as a healthcare leader in the U.S. Public Health Service. I would like to drive change around substance use disorders and how they are viewed by people. They are often viewed as having a moral failing or character flaw, but what we know from science and research is that it's a chronic brain disorder that is treatable. There have been too many deaths related to opioid overdoses. People, systems and how we address this public crisis needs to change. One way we can do this is by addressing the entire continuum along prevention, treatment, and recovery.”
According to Dr. Tahara the evening was an all-around win for SHSP and its students. “This is outside recognition and validation that our students and program are so strong. I always say, we are the best kept secret in the Hudson Valley, but we don’t want to be the best kept secret—we want to get the word out. And by winning two out of only three of these coveted awards, these students just did that for us.”
