All-Time MPCA Award Winners

Each year, the Michigan Primary Care Association invites members to nominate deserving colleagues for a variety of annual awards that recognize exemplary service. Nominations generally open in early/mid-August and conclude in early September. Many award recipients are announced and presented during MPCA’s annual conference. Distinguished service award announcements are coordinated with the recipient’s member organization and can be presented in several ways outside of the conference.

MPCA’s annual awards include:

  • Board Member of the Year
    • An individual award presented annually to honor a Michigan health center board member who exemplifies dedication to their health center’s mission and commitment to their service.
  • Advocate of the Year
    • This award is presented annually to recognize an individual who tirelessly advocates on behalf of, and raises the visibility of, Michigan health centers and the patients they serve.
  • Care Team Member of the Year
    • An individual or team award established in memory of Linda Hutchinson, who was a community health worker at Northwest Michigan Health Services. This award recognizes the compassion and commitment to helping patients health center care team members bring to their work each day, just like Linda did. Any care team–from physicians to dental hygienists, medical assistants, pharmacists, community health workers, social workers and everyone between–can be nominated for this award.
  • Healthcare Leadership Award
    • This individual award is presented annually to recognize a staff member providing exceptional leadership within a health center and/or the community a health center serves.
  • Quality in Community Health Award
    • This is an individual, team or organizational award. It is presented annually to recognize staff within their organizations that have achieved a significant level or quality, performance improvement, and/or equity disparity reduction.
  • Innovation in Community Health Award
    • This is an award presented annually to recognize individuals, teams or whole member organizations that have demonstrated creativity, innovation, and pioneering spirit in the pursuit of new ideas and strategies.
  • Peer Leadership Award
    • This individual award is presented annually to recognize Michigan health center staff who are leaders among their peers in encouraging peer collaboration, sharing and learning.
  • Distinguished Service Award
    • This individual or team award recognizes significant contributions to the success and impact of a health center or Michigan’s health center community.

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Care Team Member of the Year (formerly the Linda Hutchinson Community Connector Award)

Past winners:

  • 2022: Omar Jones, Great Lakes Bay Health Centers
  • 2021: Socorro Rodrigues, Cherry Health
  • 2019: Wayne White, MyCare Health Center

 

Board Member of the Year

Past winners:

  • 2022: Frances Hank, Chairperson, Sault Tribe Health Division Board
  • 2021: Hope Lovell, Ingham Community Health Centers
  • 2019: Benjamin T Bolser, JD, Thunder Bay Community Health Services, Inc.
  • 2018: Dianna Christensen, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center

 

Innovation in Community Health Award (formerly Clinician of the Year)

Past winners:

  • 2022: Lowell Styer, MD, Sault Tribe Health Center
  • 2021: Michael Priebe, MD, Community First Health Centers
  • 2019: Kimberly Farrow, Central City Integrated Health
  • 2018: Ronal Romero, Packard Health

 

Quality in Community Health Award (formerly the Cindy Cooley Nursing Leadership Award)

Past winners:

  • 2022: Diane Gadomski, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center
  • 2021: Oryanna Diem, BSN, RN, Packard Health
  • 2019: Dianne Ankley, RN,BSN, Ingham Community Health Centers,
  • 2018: Nancy White, RN, MS, AOCN, Northwest Michigan Health Services, Inc.
  • 2017: Laurie Vottero, RN, Great Lakes Bay Health Centers

 

Healthcare Leadership Award (formerly Finance Director/Officer of the Year)

Past Winners:

  • 2022: Cynthia Duncanson, MBA, Chief Financial Officer, Cherry Health Center
  • 2021: Eileen Chiang, Family Health Center
  • 2019: Rebecca Snow, MPA, Center for Family Health
  • 2018: Scott Hutchings, Grace Health

 

Advocate of the Year

Past winners:

  • 2022: Stacy Skiba, Thunder Bay Community Health Service, Inc.
  • 2021: Michelle Clarke, DDS, Cherry Health
  • 2019: Kevin Steely, DDS, Grace Health
  • 2018: Elise Bur, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center

 

Faces of Michigan Health Care Media Award (honor retired)

MPCA established the Faces of Michigan Health Care Media Award to recognize a journalist or reporter who, through accurate reporting, has helped raise the visibility of health centers, the issues facing the medically underserved and uninsured, and the critical need for access to quality, comprehensive, affordable health care.

Past winners:

  • 2019: Robin Erb. Bridge Magazine
  • 2015: Karen Bouffard, Detroit News
  • 2014: Jay Greene, Crain’s Detroit Business

 

Peer Leadership Award

Past winners:

  • 2022: Andre Beaumont, Cherry Health; Rebecca Gaffney, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center; Morgan Pothoven, Cherry Health; Ashley Vogel, Sault Tribe Health Center; Bob Smith, Cherry Health
  • 2021: Patti Balcom, Cherry Health; Jenny Bush, MD, Cherry Health;  Eva Lappin, MyCare Health Center
  • 2018: Kasie Pickart, Cherry Health; Heather Yawn, Great Lakes Bay Health Centers
  • 2017: Sue Hoes, Alcona Health Centers; Glenda Walker, Cherry Health