Awards

The Natalie J. Smith, MD Award is presented in memory of AIM member Natalie J. Smith’s outstanding management and leadership skills. It was established to recognize the contributions of an immunization program manager who has demonstrated the high ideals, innovation, and commitment to excellence in immunization practices that characterized Dr. Smith’s career. The award recognizes accomplishments and visionary leadership that have had a significant impact on achieving city, state, territory, and/or national vaccine-preventable disease goals and is the highest form of recognition for immunization program managers.

• 2004 – Lorraine Duncan (OR)
• 2005 – Alice Gray (PA)
• 2006 – Beth Rowe-West (NC)
• 2007 – Laurel Wood (AK)
• 2008 – Mike Chaney (GA)
• 2009 – Greg Reed (MD)

• 2010 – Janna Bardi (WA)
• 2011 – Susan Lett (MA)
• 2012 – Kelly Moore (TN)
• 2013 – Vincent Sacco (CT)
• 2015 – Jane Zucker (NYC)

• 2016 – Bob Swanson (MI)
• 2017 – Pejman Talebian (MA)
• 2018 – Annette Aguon (GU)
• 2019 – Christine Finley (VT)
• 2022 – Molly Howell (ND)
• 2023 – Michele Roberts (WA)

2024 Winner: Ron Balajadia, MS, Immunization Branch Chief, Immunization Branch, Hawai’i Department of Health

This year’s winner, Ron Balajadia, MS, is a passionate leader in the AIM community and also a 2024 inductee into the AIM Hall of Fame. He previously received the AIM Impact Award and has served in various leadership positions over the past 20 years including AIM Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and multiple terms on the Executive Committee. Ron’s accomplishments in his home state include establishing a statewide school-located vaccination program, HPV school requirement, and a comprehensive pandemic vaccination program involving more than 150 partners from over 90 organizations. As a longtime AIM member, Ron has worked diligently to build a strong community for the Pacific Islands and remains a consistent and vocal champion for Pacific Island programs and the unique challenges they face.

The AIM Rising Star Award recognizes a new program manager who demonstrates effective leadership and potential for growth within AIM. Awardees are engaged with peers and partners across the country and demonstrate a desire to impact the broader immunization community.

• 2019- Tom McCleaf (PA)
• 2018 – Shannon Bennett (NV)
• 2017 – Dr. Sarah Royce (CA)
• 2016 – Michele Roberts (WA)
• 2022 – Emily Messerli (KY)
• 2023 – Heather Burris (DC)

2024 Winner: Emman Parian, MPH, Immunization Program Manager, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Division of Public Health Services, Northern Mariana Islands

Emman Parian, MPH, the program manager in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is a member of the AIM Executive Committee, serves as co-chair of the AIM Adult Immunization Committee, and is a member of the 2024 AIM Conference Planning committee. He regularly attends the AIM U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) monthly calls, has shared his program’s work and lessons learned in the AIM Quarterly Peek, and was a speaker on vaccine confidence for an AIM educational webinar.

2024 Winner: Merideth Plumpton, RN, Immunization Program Manager, Vermont Department of Health

Merideth Plumpton, the program manager in Vermont, is a member of the AIM Member Engagement Committee, a regular attendee of AIM Member Meetups, and was a featured speaker on an AIM roundtable discussing financing for the Vermont adult immunization program. Merideth also featured her programmatic lessons learned in a volume of the Quarterly Peek.

The AIM Partnership Award recognizes an AIM partner who has worked with AIM to address an issue important to AIM members. Award winners’ work must involve collaboration and shared responsibility with AIM to implement a project that delivers a valuable resource or service to AIM members. Past award winners have been from academic institutions, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, the public health community, and the private sector.

• 2022 – Chris Duggar, Senior Public Health Advisor and COVID Unit Lead, Immunization Services Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• 2023 – Nathan Crawford, Awardee Coordination and Support Team Lead, Immunization Operations and Services Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2024 Winner: American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA)

This year’s winner, AIRA, has been integral to immunization programs in supporting their use of immunization information systems (IIS) and continuing the advancement of the nation’s leading public health information infrastructure. Founded in 1999, AIRA serves the IIS community and works tirelessly to bring the IIS and program manager communities together. AIRA’s work to improve the quality and use of data and data systems has improved immunization program management and vaccination coverage rates across the lifespan. With AIRA and AIM advocating collectively for the advancement of IIS and immunization, we are stronger, more powerful, and more influential. AIRA continues to foster collaboration among IIS and immunization programs, organizations, communities, and public health professionals and provides valuable resources to all immunization programs and partners.

The Bull’s-Eye Award for Innovation and Excellence in Immunization recognizes programs whose immunization strategies have “hit their mark,” achieving goals and increasing awareness by encouraging replication in other programs. This award is presented annually to three state, territorial, or urban area immunization programs (awardees) in recognition of an outstanding immunization initiative.

2024 Bull’s-Eye Award Winners

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for their initiative Immunization Public Health Detailing: An Innovative Approach to Improving Vaccination Coverage 

• Program Narrative
• Award Presentation (PDF)

Indiana Department of Health Immunization Division for their initiative Thinking Outside the Box – Pharmacies as VFC Providers 

• Program Narrative
• Award Presentation (PDF)

Virginia Department of Health Division of Immunization for their initiative Virginia Vaccines for Children (VVFC) 

• Program Narrative
• Award Presentation (PDF)

The AIM Impact Award recognizes a program manager who has dedicated significant time, expertise, and experience toward achieving AIM’s organizational goals—such as fostering member connection and contributing to sound immunization policy.

• 2016  – Ronald Balajadia (HI)
• 2017 –  Dave McCormick (IN)
• 2018 –  Michele Roberts (WA)
• 2019 –  Molly Howell (ND)
• 2022 – Michele Roberts (WA)
• 2023 – Amber Tirmal (Phila)

2024 Winners: Sarah Leeds, MPH, Immunization Program Manager, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Dave McCormick, Immunization Division Director, Indiana Department of Health 

Sarah Leeds has served on numerous committees, including the Executive Committee, Health Equity Committee, Member Engagement Committee, and the Conference Planning Committee. She also participated in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Working Group. Sarah also serves as an AIM Peer Connect mentor and continues to answer many calls to help and support the AIM organization and their fellow program managers.

Dave McCormick has served on multiple AIM committees including the Adult Immunization Committee and the Conference Planning Committee. He has participated in the CDC VFC Listening Session and the AIM Emerging Issues Summit. Dave also serves as an AIM Peer Connect mentor to new members and has shared his programmatic wisdom and lessons learned in the Program Manager Knowledge Hub. Dave is a true leader for program managers in his region and beyond.

The AIM Leading Through Adversity Award recognizes program managers who have shown fearlessness and perseverance under pressure and have risen to the challenge of managing an immunization program through difficult circumstances.

• 2022 – All AIM Members Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2023 Winners: All AIM Members

This year, AIM awards all immunization program managers and thanks them for their extraordinary efforts.

AIM’s new Hall of Fame Award recognizes an individual’s leadership, commitment, and outstanding contributions to the immunization program manager community and the vision of a nation free of vaccine-preventable disease.

• 2022 – Brock Lamont, Retired CDC Chief, Immunization Services Division, Program Operations Branch
• 2023 – Dan Hopfensperger, Retired Wisconsin Immunization Program Manager, Former AIM Consultant

2024 Inductee: Ron Balajadia, MS, Immunization Branch Chief, Immunization Branch, Hawaiʻi Department of Health

Ron Balajadia has over 20 years of experience working in the field of immunizations in the Pacific region. Ron participated in the first AIM strategic planning meeting in 2004 as the program manager in Guam, where he worked for 10 years. Later, he joined the Hawai‘i Department of Health as the immunization branch chief, where he has served for the last 10 years. He has participated in numerous AIM committees, including serving the second longest tenure as AIM chair. Ron has been instrumental in bringing the Pacific Islands program managers into the AIM community and bringing the AIM community to the Pacific Islanders. Ron was also the recipient of the 2016 AIM Impact Award and the 2024 Natalie J. Smith, MD Award for Excellence in Program Management.

2024 Inductee: Pejman Talebian, MA, MPH, Immunization Division Director, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Pejman Talebian served as AIM chair in 2003. During his tenure, AIM acquired its first funding and hired its first executive director. Pejman planned and facilitated monthly General Membership calls, took minutes, facilitated the AIM meeting for program managers in 2004, and worked closely with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) to set up financial infrastructure so that AIM could accept its first cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pejman accomplished all this while leading the Massachusetts immunization program to some of the highest coverage rates in the country. Pejman served as AIM chair again in 2015, was the Natalie J. Smith, MD Award for Excellence in Program Management winner in 2017, and has served many years on the AIM Executive Committee.

2024 Inductee: Beth Rowe-West, RN, BSN, Retired Immunization Program Manager, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Beth Rowe-West served as AIM Chair in 2004 and facilitated the first AIM strategic planning meeting and was a vocal presence for AIM throughout the Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project (VMBIP). Beth served as program manager in North Carolina until 2013, during which North Carolina ranked at the top for childhood immunization coverage rates. Beth also started the AIM mentor program and launched the AIM Leadership Institute, contributing to the creation of AIM’s Leadership in Action conferences. Upon her retirement, she became a consultant for AIM and mentored new program managers, serving as member services director for six years. Beth won the AIM Natalie J. Smith, MD Award for Excellence in Program Management in 2006.

2024 Inductee: Laurel Wood, MPA, Retired Immunization Program Manager, Alaska Division of Public Health

Laurel Wood’s involvement with AIM goes all the way back to 1999, and even earlier, when she had a vision of a community for program managers to share their challenges, successes, and ideas. Laurel Wood was program manager in Alaska for 16 years, where she managed a vaccine depot, built a statewide IIS, and developed a statewide preparedness program. Laurel served as chair of AIM in 1999, was a recipient of an AIM Bull’s-Eye Award for Innovation and Excellence in Immunization, and won the Natalie J. Smith, MD Award for Excellence in Program Management in 2007.

2024 Inductee: Jane Zucker, MD, Retired Assistant Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Immunization

Jane Zucker managed the New York City Bureau of Immunizations for 18 years. During this time, she promoted the importance of immunization information systems (IISs) and used the IIS and its data to increase participation in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. She was an AIM mentor, and received the AIM Natalie J. Smith, MD Award for Excellence in Program Management in 2015. Jane published numerous articles, chaired the AIM Research Committee, and encouraged immunization programs and partners to use data and evidence to drive their activities. She was involved in the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), serving on many workgroups, and encouraged program managers to get involved and share their opinions.

2022 marked the inaugural reinstatement of the previously titled CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award. Now hosted by AIM, the newly expanded and streamlined Immunization Champion Awards honor up to one Champion from each of the 50 states, six major cities, and eight territories and federated states.

• View the 2024 Champion Awardees here.
• View the 2023 Champion Awardees here.
• View the 2022 Champion Awardees here.