The School of Public Health congratulates Epidemiology Professor Tiffany Gary-Webb, PhD, MHS, who received the 2025 Public Health Practice Award from the Epidemiology Section, American Public Health Association (APHA). The award, which was presented Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C., recognizes the use of epidemiologic methods in an innovative and creative public health program or project.
“Over the course of my 25-year career in public health, I have always had a focus on applied research and translation of research to practice,” said Gary-Webb, who is also associate director of the school’s Center for Health Equity. “Recent work has become even more community-centered.”
Among those ventures was her role in developing and evaluating the inaugural Allegheny County Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Managed by the Allegheny County Health Department, the coalition targets health equity and chronic disease prevention through a coalition of nonprofit organizations and other community partners working to increase access to healthy foods, physical activities, and breastfeeding support and encouragement.
Gary-Webb has been a part of the leadership of the Black Equity Coalition working on COVID equity during the pandemic and now data justice locally. Her international efforts to tackle the noncommunicable disease epidemic in Africa and the Caribbean have just begun.
“In Africa, I am working with the leaders of the Alliance for Medical Research in Africa (AMedRA), a group of medical doctors and researchers championing the representation of African research on the global stage and emphasizing the importance of addressing the region’s unique health challenges. I’m extremely inspired by this talented group of scholars and proud to be a part of the pioneering effort of the Alliance, she said.
“My research and practice work has been done in partnership with many people across the country and around the world,” she added. “I am grateful for their collaboration, expertise, altruism and, in many cases, also friendship!”
Her research interests continue to focus on understanding the social and environmental determinants of chronic disease, particularly diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic outcomes, and implementing interventions to improve prevention and control. “Together, we are making a difference, and we will continue to push forward with our efforts despite these challenging times,” she said. “It is truly a privilege to do this work.”
- Michele Dula Baum