News

UI College of Public Health celebrates Iowa Public Health Heroes

Published on November 11, 2016

Generic image of the Iowa Public Health Heroes Award trophy.The University of Iowa College of Public Health is celebrating four individuals for their extraordinary efforts as champions of prevention and public health throughout the state of Iowa.

The 2016 Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards recipients are: Mary Mincer Hansen of Panora, Iowa, president of Hansen Health Consultation; Bonnie Rubin of Iowa City, senior associate director of the State Hygienic Laboratory (retired); Bob Russell of Des Moines, Public Health Dental Director for Iowa; and Kevin Techau of Cedar Rapids, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa.

The annual Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards recognize exceptional efforts by individuals from diverse career paths who have worked to improve health and wellness throughout Iowa. Award recipients are nominated by their peers in the Iowa public health practice community.

College of Public Health Dean Sue Curry said the 2016 recipients are tireless and effective advocates for better public health in Iowa.

“Each of these outstanding individuals is an Iowa Public Health Hero because they have made extraordinary efforts to improve the health and well-being of Iowans,” says Curry. “Because of their commitment, Iowa is stronger in critical areas such as public health preparedness, patient safety, education and workforce development, access to oral health services, enhanced laboratory services, and innovative community efforts to address the burden of addiction and overdose.”

The award recipients will be honored at the 17th Annual Iowa Public Health Practice Colloquium on Tuesday, Nov. 30. The colloquium, addressing the theme of “Population Health: Finding Common Ground to Create Positive Change,” will be held at the UI College of Public Health in Iowa City. Further details are available online at http://www.mphtc.org/event/17th-annual-iowa-public-health-practice-colloquium/ .

Additional information about the 2016 Iowa Public Health Heroes Award recipients follows.

Mary Mincer Hansen has been a health leader in Iowa since receiving her BSN in 1970. As Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health from 2003-2007, she was instrumental in beginning the Modernizing Public Health in Iowa initiative, which aims to advance the quality and performance of public health in Iowa. From 2007-2014, she was on the faculty of Des Moines University and directed DMU’s Master of Public Health program from 2011-2014. Mincer Hansen is on the state health department’s Public Health Advisory Council and co-chairs the Des Moines Age Friendly City health committee. She is the former chair of the Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (hawk-i) board, which oversees Iowa’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. She also served on an Institute of Medicine committee that prepared reports on population health funding, policy and data. She is currently the President of Hansen Health Consultation.

Bonnie Rubin began her career in public health in 2002 as Iowa’s first CDC Laboratory Response Network emergency preparedness and terrorism response coordinator with the State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL). She continues to work to ensure collaborative efforts of clinical laboratories, public and state public health departments, emergency responders, law enforcement and other agencies to prepare for unexpected natural and man-made emergencies. Prior to her 2016 retirement, she served as Associate Director at SHL, implementing new processes and systems to ensure the laboratory’s fiscal and operational future. She has held several board positions with the Iowa Public Health Association and is on the Johnson County Board of Health.  She serves on the Public Health Accreditation Board, helping public health departments across the nation attain accreditation, and on the CDC Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee.

Bob Russell has been a state and national leader in expanding access to oral health services. Since becoming Public Health Dental Director for Iowa in 2005, he spearheaded development and implementation of the I-Smiles program, which aims to improve access to preventive dental health services for children receiving Medicaid. He also leads the I-Smiles Silver project, an innovative pilot project to provide dental care for older Iowans in nursing homes or confined to their own homes. Russell has been an advocate supporting fluoridation of public water supplies, and he has served as a board member of Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation since the inception of the Foundation in 2008.

Kevin Techau has had a distinguished career as a lawyer and a leader in both federal and state government. As Commissioner of the Iowa Department Public Safety, he spearheaded efforts to improve Iowa’s Graduated Driver’s Licensing program, promote increased seat belt use, lower traffic fatalities, and increase training for firefighters. In his current role as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, Techau launched statewide and community efforts to reduce the burden of opioid addiction and overdose. In addition to working to increase the number safe receptacles for opioid prescription medication in pharmacies and police departments, he collaborated with partners in health care, public health, law enforcement, business, and the faith community to convene Iowa’s first statewide Opioid/Heroin Summit in November 2015. He has continued to hold meetings throughout Iowa to engage stakeholders in this emerging issue and other social problems.