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The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has awarded County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma J. Wooten its highest achievement, the Beverly A. Myers Award for Public Health Excellence.
The Beverly A. Myers Award is presented annually for outstanding leadership. and a dedication to all aspects of public health.
At the award ceremony held in Sacramento, CDPH leadership commended Dr. Wooten for her 23 years of service to the county and highlighted her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The adversity of COVID-19 has not only built her character; it has revealed her character,” CDPH Principal Deputy Director Susan Fanelli said at the award ceremony. “Throughout her life, Dr. Wooten has broken down barriers and served as a role model for young people, especially Black American girls who want to pursue careers in medicine and science.”
Dr. Wooten joined San Diego County in 2001 and was appointed public health director in 2007.
She was born in rural Alabama and was the first in her family to go to college. She graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta with a degree in biology, earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and also earned her doctorate from the School of Medicine.
In his speech, Dr. Wooten highlighted the support from his public health services team and fellow health workers across the state. She was dedicated to following the American Public Health Association’s “.10 essential public health services” and shared some of the “truths” that have benefited her.
“Not only those who you think support what you think are ‘great ideas,’ but also those who are reluctant, opposed to, or affected by your important policies and practices. Please be sure to discuss this with us., or a program,” she said. “And don’t agonize over the things you can’t change.”
The Beverly A. Myers Award was established in 1993 to honor the late Beverly A. Myers and her 25-year career at CDPH.