Gloria Burnett receives Barbara Berger Excellence in Public Health Education and Promotion Award
by Vicki Nechodomu |
Gloria Burnett, Director of the Alaska Center for Rural Health & Health Workforce (ACRHHW), was selected by the Alaska Public Health Association as the 2021 winner of the Barbara Berger Excellence in Public Health Education and Promotion award. This award recognizes an individual who has made special, unique, or substantial contributions to Alaska in the field of public health. The award is given in honor of the memory of Barbara Berger, health educator and Past President of ALPHA.
Burnett was recognized for her enduring contributions to, leadership in, and advocacy for health workforce development, health education, and public health in Alaska. As the Director of the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce, she oversees programs including Alaska's Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, Healthcare Pipleine programming, and the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program.
Burnett began her career in public health as an AHEC Center Director at Ilisagvik
College in Utiagvik, Alaska. There, she developed a Behavioral Health Camp template
that has been used all over the state, and has been adopted by AHEC centers across
the country. Since stepping into her role at ACRHHW in 2015, she has grown the AHEC
program into a sophisticated network of partners working collaboratively to connect
students to health career pathways and communities to better healthcare. When the
AHEC Scholars program was launched across the United States in the fall of 2019, AHECs
across our country looked to UAA's AHEC Scholars model as an example of success.
The AHEC's name recognition and reputation have grown substantially under Burnett's leadership.
She led a world-class conference during the summer of 2021 of the nation’s health
workforce professionals. She advocates tirelessly for AHECs across Alaska. Gloria
is a connector. She is constantly connecting people, and programs, and organizations
for the betterment of the whole system. Gloria exemplifies the spirit of the Barbara
Berger Award in every way.
She has thrust Alaska on the national map as the President of the National AHEC Organization.
Her recent achievement in leading UAA's Contact Tracing program throughout the pandemic
has made lasting impacts on the face of public health and emergency management in
our state. Her team recruited, trained, and oversaw the work of ____ contact tracers
who managed ... (insert sentence about scope of the number of cases or individuals
reached).
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