NEW YORK CITY, March 31 – Dr. Guthrie S. Birkhead, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Public Health for the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and a Fellow of The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) has received the 2008 Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service in the category of “Career Public Servant at the State or Local Level” from the American Medical Association (AMA).

Dr. Birkhead is the chief public health physician in the state Health Department. He oversees the activities of Department of Health’s (DOH) four public health centers and two public health offices: the AIDS Institute, Center for Community Health, Center for Environmental Health, Wadsworth Laboratories, Office of Public Health Practice and the Health Emergency Preparedness Program. In addition to his work at the Department, he is also an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University at Albany and the founding Director of DOH's Preventive Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Birkhead joined the state Health Department in 1988, and served most recently as Director of the AIDS Institute and Director of the Center for Community Health. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner in 2007. He is a Member and incoming Chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Birkhead is a graduate of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service and Preventive Medicine Residency programs, and is board-certified in internal medicine and preventive medicine. He holds a medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and a master's degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.

The officers of the AMA will present the award to Dr. Birkhead at the AMA's annual recognition dinner on April 1, 2008 in Washington, D.C.These national awards, named for the founder of the AMA, are presented to local, state and federal career and elected government officials upon the recommendation of an independent panel of judges and are awarded to officials in seven categories of public service.

The New York Academy of Medicine is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit institution whose mission is to enhance the health of the public. Its research, education, community engagement, and evidence-based advocacy seek to improve the health of people living in cities, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. The impact of these initiatives reaches into neighborhoods in New York City, across the country, and around the world. It works with community based organizations, academic institutions, corporations, the media, and government to catalyze and contribute to changes that promote health.

Posted on 03/31/2008

Contact:
Malini Doddamani
Director of Communications
mdoddamani@nyam.org
212.822.7285