Congratulations
We couldn’t be more excited to recognize these incredible healthcare leaders over the years, but what’s even more special is witnessing the growth that has taken place within the community of patient leaders over the past decade. The passion that thousands of our health leaders, warriors, survivors, advocates, and influencers have is immeasurable.We encourage you to check out all of this year’s nominees, which certainly made things difficult for our panel of judges. They are all really amazing.
Determination of Finalists
The three most endorsed individuals in each award category automatically became finalists. Three additional finalists were selected through multiple rounds of judging by members of the Social Health Network community. Nominees were reviewed and scored based on their suitability for the award category, their uses of social media, and their focus on sharing information and fostering engagement.All finalists will be notified individually via email and next step communications will be sent to them.
Determining the winners
The 60 Social Health Awards finalists will be reviewed and scored by our panel of finalist judges, comprised of professionals and industry experts, to ultimately discover the ten inaugural Social Health Award winners.Winners will be announced during our virtual conference, Connexion, on July 26 and invited to our in-person celebration at the Digital Pharma East Conference in Philadelphia on September 13, 2023.
And now, the moment you were waiting for…
Life Achievement
David Lyons, MSFC
endobarbie
Shrenik Shah
Alisha M. Bridges
Michelle Hammer: Schizophrenic.NYC
Deborah Vick, Co-Founder/CEO of Vicktorious
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: Some patient leaders are true stars who continue to shine and don’t fit into one category. The Lifetime Achievement Award is for veteran patient leaders who, after years of advocacy achievement, stand out as role models to the entire online health community. Let’s recognize the champion leaders who inspire us all year after year!
Health Collaborator
Shoshana Lipson
elif kaya
kerry wong
Melissa Talwar (Fibromyalgia Support)
war camp curtis
tory robinson
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: The Healthcare Contributor category is for advocates bridging the gaps between industry stakeholders and healthcare consumers. Whether speaking at conferences, consulting with healthcare companies, or using their expertise to help drive change in the healthcare industry, these patient leaders are impacting the broader healthcare landscape.
community grower
Conversation normalization (NTC)
Myisha Malone-Rey
jennifer schropp
doug kane
Sharron Rose
Jed Finley
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: A diagnosis can be life-changing, but luckily so can the support of an online community. The Community Cultivator category celebrates online communities or forums that create an engaging space for newcomers while maintaining a safe place that people respect and trust. Whether it’s through online support groups, live events, or forum discussions, these leaders master managing, moderating, and engaging in their communities, all for the sake of supporting others.
Defense Pioneer
crystal kent
Conversation normalization (NTC)
Myisha Malone-Rey
Gerry Langan
Somaneh Bouba Dieme
Ana Samson
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: There is no “right way” to advocate, and that is the best part of health leadership. This category seeks to recognize the myriad ways in which leaders bring innovation. While the possibilities are endless, we’ve seen leaders lead the way with new products, books, content, events, communities, and collaborations. Pushing the boundaries and paving a new path for others through education, awareness, or supporting their community, these individuals approach their advocacy by thinking outside the box.
social media master
crystal kent
doug kane
Cheryl Bookmark
Cynthia Covert, the disabled diva
kody green
geri rodriguez
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: Whether you’re posting to Instagram, hosting Facebook Lives, uploading YouTube videos, or stitching together the latest TikTok trend, the Social Media Master category recognizes patients and caregivers who leverage social platforms for advocacy. This person shares their story and builds community through one or more social channels. With so many social features in the app, we’re looking to celebrate all the creative ways healthcare leaders are using social media to impact their condition areas.
creative collaborator
effie koliopoulos
Cheryl Bookmark
STRANGE.
Kev More
“A hot MS” – Brittany Quiroz
Isabelle Fisher (aka POSY)
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: There are so many avenues when it comes to patient advocacy. The Creative Contributor category recognizes individuals who take a creative approach to raising awareness. Think of the patient leaders who transform your advocacy into clothing, cards, jewelry, comic creation and more! This category celebrates those who bring defense to the market.
Rookie of the Year
elif kaya
Samantha Salvage
chronic heather
jess garland
Iris Vasconcelos
james hollens
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: As anyone in advocacy knows, communities are not built overnight! Sharing your story and impacting a community takes time and patience, so let’s encourage those who have recently become empowered as patient leaders. The Rookie of the Year category celebrates defenders who may be new to the scene, but continue to show maximum potential. This category is typically for patient leaders with 1-3 years of experience.
The best team
Chronic Migraine Warriors
IBD Warrior Support and Awareness
PodcastDX
Loaded Heart
The Hearts for Healing Project
International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthritis)
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: The Best Team category recognizes a team or group that takes its activism to new heights through mutual aid. Whether it’s a group running an online chat, a non-profit organization, or a caregiver-patient duo, this award celebrates those who bring a team effort to your advocacy!
Revolutionary Investigator
Tina Aswani Omprakash
beth morton, PhD
Melissa Talwar (Fibromyalgia Support)
MamaTieneMigraña / VISIBLE Foundation
jamie nicole
Lana Buttner
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: The category aims to celebrate patients and caregivers who refuse to let medical jargon and data slow them down! The winner of this category stays up-to-date on the latest research, treatments, and clinical trials. This patient leader has the ability to transform complex information into simple terms for the broader community to act on.
care champion
Andrea M. Jensen, CHES(R), AE-C
makenzie cabrera
Erin Courteau
parvathy krishnan
Lorrie Forseth
holly williams
Description of the Sociosanitary Award: Not all patient leaders share their own patient journey. The Caregiving Champion category is for caregivers who tirelessly raise awareness to improve the lives of their loved ones. Although they may not be sick themselves, they are the caregivers of children, siblings, parents, significant others, or friends, who have an up close and personal perspective that is invaluable.
Give yourself a round of applause!
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