the awards
congratulations to our 2024 awardees
Each year, we recognize programs, groups, and individuals who have contributed to promoting young people’s health and well-being through personal or professional efforts.
Awardees exemplify a passion for and commitment to providing honest, affirming care and education and empowering the next generation to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
These awards will be presented at #HealthyTeen24, our annual national conference, on November 18-20, 2024. We hope you can join us in Phoenix to help congratulate our 2024 award winners.
Learn more about our awards and previous awardees, below.
Changemaker Award
Dr. Asari Offiong
Asari Offiong, PhD, MPH, is a senior research scientist within the sexual and reproductive health research area at Child Trends. As an adolescent health researcher, she takes an assets-based, youth-centered approach to addressing issues pertinent to young people—viewing youth as “at-promise” not “at-risk.” Dr. Offiong’s research portfolio focuses on Black youth, substance use prevention, and using a reproductive justice lens to understand the social context of how U.S. adolescents conceptualize their sexual health intentions, behaviors, and decision-making. This work has led her to focus on expecting and parenting adolescents and how to best support their holistic well-being. Read more…
Young Parent Achievement Award
Lolita Smith-Moore
Lolita Smith-Moore, began her journey as a young parent at just 15, facing myriad challenges linked to living in a rural community, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences. By 18, she experienced the profound loss of her second child due to Pentalogy of Cantrell, a rare birth defect. Yet, her resilience shone through as she pursued her GED a few months later. Just two weeks after the birth of her third child, she started her path to earning a bachelor’s in Public Health Studies and a master’s in Health Education from East Carolina University. Her career has focused on addressing health inequities across various areas with an emphasis on sexual health and wellness. Her advocacy for reproductive health includes a focus on preconception health, empowering young parents to make informed decisions about their reproductive lives. Read more…
Visionary Award
Mandie Fleming
Mandie Fleming has spent the past 14 years advancing access to sexual healthcare and education in her community. As the manager of Flathead Family Planning, a Title X clinic in Northwest Montana, she is dedicated to creating an environment where everyone in her rural and conservative community can access the care and information they need. While deeply committed to expanding access to sexual health services, Mandie’s true passion lies in breaking down the stigma surrounding sex education. No matter what the future throws at her, Mandie remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in rural healthcare. She hopes to demonstrate that with tenacity and the ability to control your facial expressions, anyone can create accessible and innovative sexual health services in their community. Read more…
all about the awards
Young Parent Achievement Award
From day one, when Healthy Teen Network was founded in 1979 as the National Organization for Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting (NOAPP), we have not only affirmed but often been one of the few national organizations working to ensure young families’ access to the supports and services they need to thrive. We do this because being inclusive of and affirming young people who are pregnant or parenting ensures equity for all youth.
With the Healthy Teen Network Young Parent Achievement Award, we recognize someone who has met the challenges of early parenting, has achieved extraordinary personal and/or professional success, and demonstrates phenomenal leadership.
The Young Parent Achievement Award not only recognizes young parents, it celebrates them and their accomplishments, for themselves, and for their families.
Changemaker Award
The Healthy Teen Network Changemaker Award celebrates individuals or organizations who are unapologetically creating a world where every young person can be who they are and love who they love.
In a time of continued and escalating attacks on sexual and reproductive health rights, driven by ideology and partisan agendas, it is the changemakers who are making it happen. Through their dedication and hard work, changemakers are actualizing the vision of a world that affirms and celebrates them for who they are. Ensuring they have the agency, opportunity, and access to make decisions about their bodies, relationships, and futures (and feel good doing it!). That includes decisions about if, when, and how to parent—or not. Changemakers rebuff and replace harmful policies and practices that strip young people of their autonomy, rights, and identities, freeing them to become who they want to be.
The Changemaker Award recognizes those who champion young people’s access to inclusive, affirming, and honest sexual and reproductive health education and care.
Visionary Award
The Healthy Teen Network Visionary Award honors forward-thinking, insightful, and proactive individuals or organizations committed to innovative approaches in adolescent sexual and reproductive health education and care.
Visionaries dream of the endless possibilities in education, health care, technology, and policy, ensuring that what young people learn, experience, and discover about sexuality is relevant, timely, and inspiring.
Anticipating the needs of the ever-changing lives of young people and creating holistic solutions with young people that cultivate equity, reduce health disparities, and are inclusive and affirming are at the core of the Visionary Award.
award faqs
What Are We Looking For?
- Nominees should have made outstanding contributions in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. See the award descriptions above for more information on each award.
- Nominees should have demonstrated leadership, creativity, and effectiveness.
- All awardees must commit to attend the annual Healthy Teen Network Conference on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 during the Awards Luncheon, at a minimum. (Awardees will receive a travel stipend, full conference registration, and one complimentary hotel night stay.)
- Organizations and agencies employing Healthy Teen Network board members are not eligible nominees.
What Do I Need to Nominate?
Complete the Award Nomination Form below by August 15, 2024, 11:59 PM ET. You will need to provide:
- A headshot/photo of the nominee (PNG, GIF, JPG, or JPEG files, 2MB maximum, 500×500 pixels minimum). This photo will be used in the award announcement, in marketing materials, on the conference website, on social media, and on the conference app.
- A brief bio of the nominee. If applicable, a brief history of the nominee’s involvement in the field, including a summary of their focus.
- Clearly stated reasons for proposing this nominee.
- Three letters of support for the nomination, two of which must come from outside the nominee’s organization/agency.
- Optional: Any other supportive materials (e.g., websites, news articles, brochures, etc.) as hyperlinks or PDF/Word documents.
What Happens Now?
- The Healthy Teen Network Conference Committee reviews awardee applications and recommends award recipients.
- Healthy Teen Network staff make the final selection of award recipients.
- We will notify awardees no fewer than 60 days prior to the first day of the conference.
What If I Am the Awardee?
- Awards will be announced on the Healthy Teen Network website and social media channels in the weeks leading up to the conference.
- Awards will be presented at the Healthy Teen Network conference, Rise, Reimagine, and Reinvent, in Pheonix, November 18-20, 2024 (exact date of award presentation TBD).
- Awardees will be welcomed to accept their award and share a few short remarks during a general conference session.
- Awardees will be provided with a travel stipend, full conference registration, and one complimentary hotel night stay.
2024 awards nominations
Thank you for your interest in the #HealthyTeen24 Awards, the nomination period is now closed. The Healthy Teen Network Conference Committee will be reviewing the awardee applications and making recommendations for award recipients. Awardees will be notified no fewer than 60 days prior to the first day of the conference.
previous awardees
Each year, we recognize programs, groups, and individuals who have contributed to promoting young people’s health and well-being through personal or professional efforts. Congratulations to all our past awardees!
2023 #StandingStrong Award
The Menstrual Dignity for Students Program
The Menstrual Dignity for Students Program from the Oregon Department of Education requires that schools provide products and dispensers in a safe, private, accessible, and gender-affirming manner. The program also guarantees that education must cover menstrual health as a positive part of being human, without shame, and in a way that is affirming and accessible for all students of all genders. To assist school districts with implementation and requirements, program staff created the Menstrual Dignity for Students Toolkit to support educators and administrators to hold student equity and menstrual dignity at the center, so all students have the opportunity for safe, dignified self-care. Read more…
2023 Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
Marlen Ramirez
Coming from a culture that usually does not have conversations about health education or reproductive health was what led Marlen Ramirez to become a Community Health Worker and a Community Health Worker Instructor in Texas. She was a teen parent whose strength and perseverance earned her B.S. in Social Sciences from Sul Ross State University and cemented her future in the helping professions. In 2016, she launched Better Futures Forever which trains teens as ambassadors to reduce teen pregnancy in southwest Texas. Currently, Better Futures Forever is one of the only training centers to provide certification to high schools in southwest Texas, by certifying one of the youngest cohorts of high school students in her Texas hometown. Read more…
2023 Innovation
Award
Confidential Advocacy Services in Schools Program
Raphael House of Portland’s mission is to engage their entire community in non-violent living through advocacy, education, and community outreach, and by providing a safe haven from domestic violence. They are driven to provide a foundation of hope for a future free from domestic violence. For over 46 years their shelter and wraparound services have helped families escaping abuse build the safe, stable, independent lives they deserve. Read more…
2022 Awardees
2020 Awardees
2018 Awardees
Pat Paluzzi, #StandingStrong Award
Nelly Vianna, Youth 360° Innovation Award
Miki Rutledge, Outstanding Former Teen Parent
Karin Coyle, Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year
Tara Beeston, Chrissy Cmorik, & Rachel Miller, Spirit of Service Award
Shirley Nash Weber, Spirit of Service Award
2016 Awardees
Kristin Fairholm, Outstanding Former Teen Parent
Paula Braverman, Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year
Young Women United, Youth 360° Innovation Award
Purple W.I.N.G.S., Spirit of Service Award
2014 Awardees
Susan Tortolero Emery, Douglas B. Kirby Adolescent Research Award
Jean Warren Lindsay, Spirit of Service Award
#NoTeenShame, Spirit of Service Award
Corey Jones, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
Georgia Public-Private Partnership to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (GCAPP), Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Mary Jo Podgurski, The Carol Mendez Cassell Award for Excellence in Sexuality Education
2012 Awardees
Peter L. Benson, Researcher of the Year Award
Leah Herbert, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
GENESISTER (Boulder County Public Health), Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Amy Schalet, The Carol Mendez Cassell Award for Excellence in Sexuality Education
2010 Awardees
Kristin Anderson Moore, Researcher of the Year Award
Janet P. Realini, Spirit of Service Award
Mark Strama, Spirit of Service Award
Laura Buxton, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
Michele Vaughn, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
BrdsNBz (SHIFT NC), Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Elizabeth Schroeder, The Carol Mendez Cassell Award for Excellence in Sexuality Education
Lorraine Vogel Klerman, Lifetime Achievement Award
2008 Awardees
Carol Cassell, Outstanding Researcher Award
Diane Denish, Spirit of Service Award
Alfredo Vigil, Spirit of Service Award
Linda Lopez, Spirit of Service Award
Kathy Harms, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
The Denver Teen Pregnancy Prevention Partnership, Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
The Freshmen Focus Program (Palmetto Health Community Services of South Carolina), Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Elizabeth Schroeder, The Carol Mendez Cassell Award for Excellence in Sexuality Education
2006 Awardees
Claire D. Brindis, Outstanding Researcher Award
Lillian Harris, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
No Kidding: Straight Talk from Teen Parents, Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Wesley Shelter, Outstanding Intervention Program Award
SHINE Program, Outstanding Prevention Program
Juanita Weber, Outstanding Individual Professional
2021 Awardees
Although the world began to reopen in 2021, we still had concerns regarding the safety and well-being of both our staff and attendees. In light of these concerns, we made the decision to hold #HealthyTeen21 as a virtual event. As a result of our team’s efforts to redesign the conference, we also decided not to accept nominations for awards in 2021.
2019 Awardees
Cole Williams, Outstanding Former Teen Parent
Judith Herrman, Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year
Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, Youth 360° Innovation Award
Deon Haywood, #Standing Strong Award
Patricia Haynes Smith, Spirit of Service Award
2017 Awardees
Joseph Yusef, Outstanding Former Teen Parent
Abraham Wandersman, Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year
Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy, Youth 360° Innovation Award
Ariana B. Kelly, Spirit of Service Award
Delores Goodwin Kelly, Spirit of Service Award
2015 Awardees
Aisha Mix, Outstanding Former Teen Parent
Lesley Del Rio, Outstanding Former Teen Parent
Richard P. Barth, Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year
University of Michigan Health System, Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Brandon Scott, Spirit of Service Award
B’More for Healthy Babies, Spirit of Service Award
Middle Grades Partnership Students, Spirit of Service Award
2013 Awardees
Ralph DiClemente, Douglas B. Kirby Adolescent Research Award
Otis S. Johnson, Spirit of Service Award
Lisa Carter, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
Gender Matters (EngenderHealth), Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Barbara Kemp Huberman, The Carol Mendez Cassell Award for Excellence in Sexuality Education
2011 Awardees
Freya Lund Sonenstein, Researcher of the Year Award
Chelsa Wagner, Spirit of Service Award
Lilah Fisher Wise, Spirit of Service Award
James Wagoner, Spirit of Service Award
Afterschool Health and Sexuality Education Program
Héctor Sánchez-Flores, The Carol Mendez Cassell Award for Excellence in Sexuality Education
2009 Awardees
John Santelli, Outstanding Researcher Award
Michael Carrera, Spirit of Service Award
Michele Ozumba, Spirit of Service Award
Tchernavia Ranesfore, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
The Lucas County, Ohio Youth Development/Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Response-Ability Pregnant and Parenting Program (RAPPP), Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Sharon Rodine, Healthy Teen Network Pioneer Award
2007 Awardees
Laurie Schwab Zabin, Outstanding Researcher Award
Robert Chew accepting on behalf of HBO, Spirit of Service Award
Karen Pittman, Spirit of Service Award
Loren Harris, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
Future Promises, Outstanding Emerging Innovation for Young Families Award
2005 Awardees
Barbara W. Sugland, Outstanding Researcher Award
Ounce of Prevention Fund, Spirit of Service Award
Henry A. Waxman, Spirit of Service Award
Jo Lerberg, Outstanding Former Teen Parent Award
Home Based Contraception Program, Outstanding Emerging Innovation Award
Bette J. Gifford, Outstanding Individual Professional
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The “Must-Attend” Conference
We are the go-to network for connecting youth-supporting professionals with the opportunities, training, and tools they need to empower the next generation to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Our vast membership network of more than 5,600 affiliates is made up of diverse adolescent sexual and reproductive health professionals.
We know youth-supporting professionals do their best when they’re connected to great opportunities and resources—and with others working in sexual and reproductive health. And when they are well-supported, we see more positive outcomes for the youth they serve.
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What We Have Heard
Don't just take our word for it. Straight from our attendees, here's what they have to say about the Healthy Teen Network annual national conference.
Premier Opportunities
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looking ahead to #healthyteen25
Save the Date for October 6-8, 2025
Atlanta, GA
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