(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO – The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has issued the call for nominations for the fifth annual Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award. The award recognizes significant efforts by an individual or group of individuals to improve public health approaches for children’s vision and eye health at the state or national level. The deadline for submission is July 10, 2019.
The award was established by the NCCVEH Advisory Committee to commemorate Bonnie Strickland and her groundbreaking work to establish a comprehensive system for children’s vision in the United States. Strickland served as Director of the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau prior to her retirement in 2014. An all-volunteer committee for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award review all nominations and select the award winner.
Nominees for the award may include individuals or a group comprised of diverse stakeholders, including family/caregiver and community leaders, who are implementing changes to improve children’s vision in the United States. Nominees should demonstrate an impact in one or more areas of a public health system supporting children’s vision including:
- Key Stakeholder Engagement or Collaboration, including representation from families and diverse racial/ethnic/geographic and socio-economic levels target populations
- Training and Education
- Public Awareness
- Provision of Resources and/or Services
- Surveillance and Accountability
- Reduction of Health Disparities
- Infrastructure Development-Local, State, or National Level
- Making the connection between vision and overall health, early childhood development and learning
The award will be presented at the NCCVEH annual meeting, Sept. 14, 2019, in Baltimore, MD. The award consists of a commemorative plaque, recognition and opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting, and roundtrip transportation for one to Baltimore, MD, along with one night of lodging. The award recipient will be featured on the website for the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health with an overview of their program.
Past recipients of the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award include the Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study Group, Richard Bunner, retired from the Ohio Department of Health, Sean P. Donahue, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt University, the Illinois Eye Institute (IEI) at Princeton Vision Clinic, and the Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Children’s (PPOC).
“Prevent Blindness is an organization founded on saving sight in children, and the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award provides us with the opportunity to recognize the tremendous efforts of those dedicated to protecting vision and keeping eyes healthy for our kids,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness.
For more information or to submit a nomination for the 2019 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award, please visit here, or contact Donna Fishman at (800) 331-2020 or dfishman@preventblindness.org.