Sand
ra D. Lane, a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence and professor of public health and anthropology at the Falk College, will be honored with the 2015 Henrik L. Blum Award for Excellence in Health Policy at the upcoming American Public Health Association meeting in November.
The award honors Lane’s excellence, creativity and innovation in the development and implementation of health policy. The award was given by the American Public Health Association, through their section on Community Health Planning and Policy Development.
“Dr. Lane’s visionary leadership in public health policy and advocacy impacts communities locally and globally. Through her purposeful approach that links teaching and scholarship, students often work collaboratively with Dr. Lane to gain hands-on research experience, which has led to students co-authoring journal articles and presenting at professional conferences,” says Falk College Dean Diane Lyden Murphy. “Dr. Lane’s teaching and mentoring inspires students to embrace their coursework in ways that lead to positive social action and change. Falk College is incredibly proud that she will be honored for excellence by the American Public Health Association with the 2015 Blum Award.”
Lane, who also holds an appointment as research professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Upstate Medical University, has focused her research on the impact of racial, ethnic and gender disadvantage on maternal, child and family health in urban areas of the United States and the Middle East. She has published 37 peer reviewed journal articles, 19 book chapters, the book “Why Are Our Babies Dying? Pregnancy, Birth and Death in America” and a policy monograph, The Public Health Impact of Needle Exchange Programs in the United States and Abroad.
She has been recognized by the University as an extraordinary teacher and adviser who offers students challenging research and community engagement opportunities to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom in a real-world setting. Lane also developed the Community Action Research and Education (CARE) model that links the community-participatory analysis of public policy with pedagogy. Her CARE projects include food deserts in Syracuse, lead poisoning in rental property, health of the uninsured and her current project on neighborhood trauma and gun violence. Prior to joining Syracuse University, Lane was the founding director of Syracuse Healthy Start, an infant mortality prevention program.
“This is quite an honor within an important and growing field of public health. Dr. Lane’s contributions have been instrumental in finding ways to improve communities and the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens,” says Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Liz Liddy. “I offer my thanks to Dr. Lane for what she has contributed to the public health field, the community and the University.”
