2001 Hansen Award

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin

U.S. Sent. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is the 2001 recipient of the Hansen Award.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) was selected by the University of Iowa College of Public Health to receive the first-ever Richard and Barbara Hansen Leadership Award and Distinguished Lectureship.

“Sen. Harkin has been a steadfast supporter of public health throughout his career in elected office,” said James A. Merchant, M.D., Dr.P.H, dean of the College of Public Health. “His work to improve rural residents’ access to and quality of health care, emphasis on women’s health issues, strong support for preventive and biomedical research, and commitment to protecting the rights of disabled Americans have benefited not only the residents of Iowa, but people throughout the United States, as well.”

Sen. Harkin is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. This committee funds both the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, key federal agencies that support prevention and public health training, research and outreach. Harkin also chairs the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

Sen. Harkin’s Contributions to Public Health

  • Serves as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
  • Serves as Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee
  • Authored the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation that protects the civil rights of more than 57 million Americans with physical and mental disabilities
  • Co-sponsored a bipartisan effort to double the national investment in health research
  • Introduced the first major bipartisan bill to combat teen smoking, and led the successful effort to fund an informal program to check IDs to prevent kids from illegally buying cigarettes
  • Introduced bipartisan legislation to allow the Food and Drug Administration to classify and regulate tobacco as a drug
  • Emphasized women’s health, doubling funding for breast cancer research and launching a national breast and cervical cancer early detection program
  • Developed a rural health initiative to improve accessibility, affordability, and the quality of health care in rural areas
  • Cosponsored the bipartisan Patients’ Bill of Rights
  • Worked to provide National Institutes of Health (NIH) with a $3.4 billion increase for fiscal year 2002, the largest in NIH history
  • Coauthored the bipartisan $2.9 billion nationwide bioterrorism plan signed into law by President Bush

Lecture Video

See video of Tom Harkin’s Hansen Distinguished Lecture