Meet Our 2024 Social Health Award Finalists!

We’re excited to announce our 2024 Social Health Awards finalists! It's been an incredible experience for our judges (and team) to get to know our Health Leaders better through their advocacy. Living with (or caring for a loved one) with a chronic or terminal illness can feel overwhelming at times, but coming together to honor each other reminds us how vital this work is. Our Health Leaders constantly amaze us. Whether through their unique advocacy efforts or supporting fellow Health Leaders – it's all worth celebrating!

Congratulations! We couldn't be more excited to recognize these incredible Health Leaders over the years, but what’s even more special is witnessing the growth that has taken place within the patient leader community over the past decade. The passion that the thousands of our Health Leaders, warriors, survivors, advocates, and influencers have is immeasurable.

All finalists will be individually notified via email and sent next-step communications.

Determining the winners

The 60 Social Health Awards finalists will be reviewed and scored by our finalist judging panel, comprised of industry professionals and experts, to uncover the ten inaugural Social Health Award winners ultimately!

Winners will be announced during our virtual conference, Connexion, on July 26 & invited to our in-person celebration at the Digital Pharma East Conference in Philadelphia in September.

Connexion 2024 will take place on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, from 11 am to 5 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). This year's event will be entirely virtual, making it even easier to attend! You can register for Connexion here.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for...

The 2024 Social Health Awards Finalists are...

Lifetime Achievement

Daniel Garza
Jeffrey Roberts
Maria-José Bouey
Nicole Lemelle
Rwenshaun Miller

Social Health Award Description: Some patient leaders are true stars who continue to shine and don't fit into just one category. The Lifetime Achievement Award is for the veteran patient leaders, who after years of advocacy achievements, stand as role models for the entire online health community. Let's recognize the advocacy leaders that inspire all of us year after year!

Healthcare Collaborator

Amber Blackburn
Antoinette Ross
John Bottrell
Michael Donohoe
Rebekah Dorr
Scott Ninneman

Social Health Award Description: The Healthcare Collaborator category is for the advocates bridging the gaps between industry stakeholders and healthcare consumers. Whether speaking at conferences, consulting with healthcare companies, or using their experience to help make change in the healthcare industry, these patient leaders are impacting the healthcare landscape at large.

Community Cultivator

Emily Hertzberg
Gracefully Jen
Jennifer Schropp
Racquel Dozier
Sarah Renee Shaw
Victoria Voos

Social Health Award Description: A diagnosis can be life-changing, but fortunately, so can the support from an online community. The Community Cultivator category celebrates the online communities or forums that create an inviting space for newcomers while maintaining a safe place people have come to respect and rely on. Whether through online support groups, live events, or forum discussions – these leaders have mastered managing, moderating, and engaging their communities all for the purpose of supporting others.

Advocacy Trailblazer

Cassidy Megan
Elizabeth Moffett
Emmitt Henderson
Joni Kazantzis
Lee Formella
Shonda Berry

Social Health Award Description: There is no "right way" to advocate – and that's the best part of health leadership. This category seeks to recognize the countless ways leaders bring innovation. Although endless possibilities exist, we've seen leaders blaze a trail with new products, books, content, events, communities, and collaborations. Pushing the limits and paving a new path for others through education, raising awareness, or supporting their community, these individuals approach their advocacy by thinking out of the box.

Social Media Master

Allison Tennyson
Jasmine (Ivanna) Espy
Jemma Bella
Kody Green
Megan Marjorie
Tiffany Kairos

Social Health Award Description: Whether posting to Instagram, hosting Facebook Lives, uploading YouTube videos, or stitching the latest TikTok trend, the Social Media Master category recognizes the patients and caregivers leveraging social platforms for advocacy. This individual is sharing their story and fostering community through one or many social channels. With so many in-app social features, we seek to celebrate all the creative ways health leaders use social media to impact their condition areas.

Creative Contributor

Brittany Quiroz
Jenny Jones
Joe Sooch
Samantha Salvaggio
Tim Ulmer
Valerie David

Social Health Award Description: There are so many avenues when it comes to patient advocacy. The Creative Contributor category recognizes the individuals taking a creative approach to raising awareness. Think about patient leaders transforming their advocacy into clothing, cards, jewelry shops, comic creation, and more! This category celebrates those bringing advocacy to the marketplace.

Rookie of the Year

Danielle Connolly
Dwayne Wilson
Emily Wahl
Joey Torre
Mariana dos Santos
Paige Williams

Social Health Award Description: As anyone in advocacy knows, communities aren't built overnight! Sharing your story and impacting a community takes time and patience, so let's encourage those who are recently empowered as patient leaders. The Rookie of the Year category celebrates the advocates who may be new to the scene, but continue to show the utmost potential. This category is typically for patient leaders with 1 to 3 years of experience.

Best Team

Alopi Patel and Meera Kirpekar, The Female Pain Docs
Chronic Migraine Warriors
Heart Charged
IBDesis Patient Advocacy Arm of South Asian IBD Alliance
IBD Warriors, Support and Awareness
Migraine Meanderings: Shoshana Lipson & her Team

Social Health Award Description: The Best Team category recognizes a team or group that takes their activism to new heights because of the assistance from one another. Whether it be a group that runs an online chat, a non-profit organization, or a caregiver and patient duo – this award celebrates those bringing a team effort to their advocacy!

Revolutionary Researcher

Andrea Vassilev
Beth Morton
Bob McEachern
Jamie Nicole
Lynn Julian
Michael LaFerney

Social Health Award Description: This category aims to celebrate the patients and caregivers who refuse to let medical jargon and data slow them down! The winner stays up-to-date on the latest research, treatments, and clinical trials. This patient leader has a knack for transforming complex information into layman's terms for the greater community to act on.

Caregiving Champion

Andrea Jensen
Beverly Baldwin
Charles Anthony Ulloa
Diane Kennedy
Kelsey Ramos Conroy
Makenzie Cabrera

Social Health Award Description: Not all patient leaders share their own patient journeys. The Caregiving Champion category is for caregivers who tirelessly raise awareness to better the lives of loved ones. Though they themselves may not be sick, they are the caregivers of children, siblings, parents, significant others, or friends who have an invaluable up-close-and-personal perspective.

Give yourself a round of applause!

Congratulations to all of our finalists and nominees! A nomination means you've made an impact in someone's life, and that's the biggest win of all. With the help of all of you, we're closer to changing the patient journey than ever before. Thank you for sharing your story, using your voice, and uplifting your community members. Cheers to the patient voice!