Axelrod Prize

David Axelrod's Legacy

Dr. Axelrod was a Harvard-educated physician and research scientist for the National Institutes of Health before joining the New York State Department of Health in 1968 as Director of the Infectious Disease Center. He later served as Director of the Division of Laboratories and Research. He was appointed Commissioner of Health by Governor Hugh L. Carey and later by Governor Mario Cuomo. Under Dr. Axelrod’s leadership, New York became the first state in the nation to restrict the number of hours that hospitals can require interns and residents to work. He increased the disciplining of doctors and the imposition of fines on hospitals that violated regulations. His stringent rules garnered him a national reputation, and New York's medical establishment became one of the most tightly regulated in the U.S., leading critics in health care to call for his removal. During his tenure, Dr. Axelrod established innovative policies that often became models for the rest of the country. He spearheaded the cleanup at Love Canal, oversaw the creation of the New York State AIDS Institute, and advocated for money to conduct research to address the HIV epidemic. He also established the Task Force on Life and the Law to address critical ethical issues in healthcare. Under his leadership, the Department launched Child Health Plus, a state health insurance plan for eligible children. Dr. Axelrod also advocated for universal health insurance. He led statewide efforts to control exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, chaired the Governor's Disaster Preparedness Commission and pioneered the use of reimbursement methodology that rewarded efficiency.

In 1985, Dr. Axelrod worked with SUNY President Vincent O'Leary to create the School of Public Health at University at Albany. This created a unique partnership which enabled government researchers and scientists to contribute closely to academia and for students to learn on the front lines of public health. 35 years later, this partnership continues to flourish, with 75% of faculty holding full-time appointments at the New York State Department of Health and countless students interning within various sectors of the Department. The UAlbany School of Public Health honors Dr. Axelrod for this important work and stands as an example of the importance and success of approaching public health at the intersection of academia and government.

Previous Axelrod Prize in Public Health Recipients

2020: Dr. Thomas A. Burke, the Jacob I and Irene B. Fabrikant Professor and Chair in Health Risk and Society at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. You can read more about Dr. Burke and his significant contributions to the field in our 35th anniversary magazine. 

You can view the 2020 Axelrod Prize virtual lecture.

2021: Dr. David Michaels is an epidemiologist and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington DC. He served as US Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health from 2009 to January 2017, the longest serving administrator in OSHA’s history. He was a member of the Biden Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board and is currently engaged in work on ways to improve our pandemic response. During the Clinton Administration, Dr. Michaels served as US Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety, and Health, charged with protecting the workers, community, and environment around the nation’s nuclear weapons facilities. In that position, he was the chief architect of the historic initiative to compensate nuclear weapons workers who were sickened by radiation, beryllium, and other toxic exposures. Much of his research focuses on protecting the integrity of the science underpinning public health, safety, and environmental protections. On this topic, he is the author of The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception  (Oxford University Press, 2020) called “a tour de force” by Science Magazine and “a brave and important book, raising the alarm about the systemic corruption of science” by Nature Magazine. 

2023: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the Associate Dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She is the founding director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative partnership of MSU and Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, Michigan. A pediatrician, scientist, activist, and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. She has testified multiple times before the United States Congress, lectures at dozens of colleges and universities, and frequently contributes to national media outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond. Dr. Hanna-Attisha is the author of the widely acclaimed and New York Times 100 most notable book, What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City. With concentrations in environmental health and health policy, she received her bachelor’s degree and Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She completed her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and her residency and chief residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.

2024: Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is an epidemiologist and scientific communicator. She co-founded the Health Trust Initiative and is a Senior Scientific Advisor to several government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Resolve to Save Lives. In addition, Dr. Jetelina is the publisher of Your Local Epidemiologist - a public health newsletter that “translates” ever-evolving science to the public, reaching over 300 million views. Dr. Jetelina has received numerous national awards, including National Academies of Science and a medal of honor from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.