Institute’s County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Wins National Award for Public Service

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) received the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Epidemiology Section award for public health practice for the program’s impact on population health across the country. The Public Health Practice Award was announced November 7th at the APHA annual meeting in Boston.

“We are honored to be recognized for our work bringing data to action,” said Sheri Johnson, principal investigator for County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. “We can create a world where we all have what we need to thrive. Through data, strategies and examples, we provide tools that communities can use to improve the spectrum of factors that contribute to health and equity.”

APHA’s Awards Committee of the Epidemiology Section chose CHR&R to recognize its “excellence in public health practice and the impact of the initiative on population health across the country,” according to an Aug. 29 letter from Dr. Victor Ilegbodu, chairman of the awards committee.

CHR&R is a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program’s annual rankings compare counties within each state on factors that impact health such as housing, education, jobs, and access to quality health care. Its What Works for Health database offers more than 400 evidence-informed strategies to help communities on their health improvement journey. Each strategy is rated for its effectiveness and likely impact on health disparities. Visit countyhealthrankings.org/takeaction to learn more.