Sidney Sax Public Health Medal

The Public Health Association of Australia, in 2000, initiated the first Public Health Medal. This Medal was designed to be the Associations pre-eminent prize. The Medal is awarded every year.

In 2001, the Public Health Medal was renamed the Sidney Sax Public Health Medal in honour of the late Dr. Sidney Sax (bio).

The PHAA bestows this competitive award on a person who has provided a notable contribution to the protection and promotion of public health, solving public health problems, advancing community awareness of public health measures and advancing the ideals and practice of equity in the provision of health care.

To be eligible a nominee must:

• Have a proven track record in the advancement of public health in Australia;
• Be an Australian citizen or resident; and,
• Have undertaken his/her activities in Australia.

The criteria for the Medal are that nominees will have actively engaged in work or activities in Australia designed to achieve one or more of the following:

• Protect and promote public health in Australia;
• Promote multi-disciplinary approaches to designing public health solutions and solving public health problems;
• Advance community awareness of public health measures and outcomes and the real cost of inadequate public health responses; and,
  
• Advance the ideals and practice of equity in provision of health care (equity defined as equal care for equal need).

Winners of the Medal are:

2007 - Pat Anderson

Awarded to Pat Anderson for her work in Indigenous health. For over two decades Pat has been involved in public health in Australia, working at all levels, within and outside government. She has often taken courageous positions to protect and improve the health of Australia?s Indigenous people. Pat was recognised with this award as an iconic Indigenous leader who has taken the credo of the Ottawa Charter to practical ends in local communities. She has not only recognised the inequities in Indigenous health in Australia, but has lived it and has sought to drive a strong public health agenda to find redress for communities and the means of building a healthier future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

2006 - Professor D'Arcy Holman [bio]

Awarded to Professor D'Arcy Holman for his outstanding and innovative work as an epidemiologist and his extraordinarily productive contributions to research, teaching, the development of epidemiology - including data linkage in Australia, work in health communications and his work with national and state government health departments, health organisations, health advocacy organisations and community groups.

2005 - Dr. John Scott

Awarded this Medal for his strong and consistent history of leadership at both state and national levels in the protection and promotion of public health in Australia. John is well known for his development of public health services, in particular services in Queensland and those that have been developed via the National Public Health Partnership. John's strong leadership secured additional investments in public health helping the core public health capacity grow of Queensland to grow considerably. His leadership in public health services is epitomised by investments in needle and syringe availability, drug courts, improvements to Indigenous public health and primary health care services and in his advocacy for collaborative national action on a broad range of public health issues as both a member and the Chair of the National Public Health Partnership.

2004 - Associate Professor David Legge

Awarded the Sidney Sax Medal in 2004 for his pioneer work in community participation in health services in Victoria and his contributions to a wide range of health policies including regionalisation of community health, and the District Health Council's Program.

2003 - Professor Annette Dobson

Awarded the Sidney Sax Medal in 2003, for her long term dedication to public health education and commitment to developing integrative and multi-disciplinary approaches to solving public health problems in Australia and overseas.

2002 - Professor Judith Lumley

Awarded the Sidney Sax Medal in 2002, for her more than two decades of work dedicated to the promotion of public health and for her efforts in improving maternal care in Australia.

2001 - Professor Mary Sheehan

Awarded the Sidney Sax Medal 2001, in recognition of her involvement in teaching, education, research and service in promotion of public health over the past twenty years.

2000 - Dr. Neal Blewitt

The inaugural Public Health Medal, later renamed the Sidney Sax Medal, was awarded to Dr Neal Blewitt in 2000 for his record of advancement of public health in Australia.