, former dean of the 深夜看片鈥檚鈥(COPH), is the first person to win a prestigious award from the National Board of
Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) in recognition of her legacy of leadership.
Petersen received the inaugural , a national honor that recognizes CPH-certified leaders whose work advances innovation,
excellence, and advocacy for public health. The award celebrates professionals who
transform the way public health is practiced, through sustainable outcomes, partnership-driven
leadership, and the ability to catalyze meaningful change for communities.
The award is named after the founder of the University of Georgia College of Public
Health鈥痺ho helped shape the early identity of health education, certification, and
competency standards throughout the United States. He died in 2024.
鈥淛oel was a beloved member of our public health community, a role model, and a friend
to so many of us,鈥欌 Petersen said. 鈥淗e was an accomplished professional, wildly creative,
and incredibly kind. It was fitting that they were naming an innovation award for
him.鈥 When I got the call letting me know I had been selected as the first recipient
of this award, I was floored 鈭 but I knew wherever Joel was, he was smiling at me.鈥欌
Petersen served as the fourth dean of COPH before stepping down in 2024 after nearly
20 years. She currently serves as a teaching professor in the college.
鈥淭he Lee award celebrates the values of rigor, leadership, and the type of progress
that improves real-world public health outcomes. No one embodies these values more
than Petersen,鈥 said , an alumna and associate dean of academic affairs at COPH.
鈥淗er career has been a sustained argument, made through action, that public health
is strongest when its workforce is prepared, supported, and recognized as a profession,鈥欌
Corvin said. 鈥淟ong before workforce shortages dominated national headlines, she pushed
the field toward clearer standards, stronger practice connections, and a culture of
lifelong learning.鈥欌
As a former NBPHE chair, Petersen helped champion certification not as a checkbox,
but as a professional promise that public health practitioners should be able to demonstrate
foundational competence and continue developing as the field evolves, Corvin said.
鈥淭hat is precisely where Dr. Petersen鈥檚 legacy stands out,鈥欌 she added. 鈥淎cross decades
of leadership, she鈥檚 influenced how public health is taught, how practice is valued
within training, and how professional credibility is strengthened across the workforce.
She鈥檚 been a driving force and an inspirational leader.鈥
Petersen said the award honors the belief and commitment that continues to fuel her
lifelong journey.
鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate that my entire career has been devoted to improving the way public
health is practiced,鈥欌 she said. 鈥淎s a graduate student in public health, it was drilled
into us that our job, our responsibility, was to improve the health of the public
by any means possible.鈥欌
Just as important is how the award reflects on the past, present and future work of
everyone within the USF College of Public Health.
鈥淔or years, we were known as innovators, as a group who saw opportunities and took
risks,鈥欌 Petersen said. 鈥淏eing early adopters of the CPH exam is an example of that
spirit.鈥疻inning this award should serve as a reminder of the leadership we demonstrated
in working to professionalize our field and hopefully inspire others to do their part.鈥欌
, interim chair, and Distinguished University Health Professor, called Petersen 鈥渢he most authentic
and transformational leader I have ever known.鈥疘 use much of what I learned from her
in my classes and work as a department chair. She is truly a public health star.鈥
Jenna Miller, a former COPH student of Petersen鈥檚, praised her caring attitude towards
students and communities: 鈥淗er ability to lead and provide impactful鈥痗areer and professional鈥痑dvice
and feedback is immeasurable.鈥疘鈥檓 honored to have learned from such an inspirational
leader.鈥