Russell E. Teague Meritorious Award

Deena Bell
Public Health Education Section Supervisor
Kentucky Department for Public Health

It is a privilege to recognize an individual whose leadership has strengthened the very foundation of public health in the Commonwealth.

This nominee has demonstrated exceptional vision and commitment to advancing the Kentucky Department for Public Health through workforce development, education, and innovation. Understanding that strong public health systems depend on a skilled and supported workforce, she took action to create meaningful, lasting change.

Most notably, she designed and implemented the Department’s Tuition Assistance Program, an initiative that has directly supported more than 60 employees in pursuing higher education and professional credentials. As a result, eight employees have already completed degrees or certificates, expanding internal expertise and building long-term capacity to better serve communities across Kentucky.

Her impact extends far beyond tuition assistance. She has developed and coordinated more than 2,000 professional learning experiences for staff throughout the Department. Through thoughtfully designed learning series, skills challenges, and structured development programs, she has cultivated a culture that values continuous growth, innovation, and excellence. By pairing these opportunities with meaningful incentives, she has increased engagement and motivation while strengthening the overall workforce.

Her work reflects creative and forward-thinking approaches to workforce development that align strongly with the legacy of strengthening public health systems for sustained and measurable impact. Through her leadership, individual employees have grown in knowledge and confidence, and the Department itself has become more resilient, adaptable, and effective.

Her dedication ensures that Kentucky’s public health workforce is prepared not only for today’s challenges, but for those of the future.

It is our honor to present the Russell E. Teague Meritorious Award to Deena Bell.

Lindsey Brewer
Facilitation Program Administrator
Kentucky Department for Public Health

This year's recipient is a testament to the values and mission of the Kentucky Department for Public Health. On January 3, 2022, Lindsey Brewer took on the role of Student Internship Program Coordinator within the Center for Foundational Health, Division of Public Health Protection and Safety. Through her leadership, dedication, and hard work she has made significant improvements in the Student Internship Program.

Her accomplishments include:

• Establishing partnerships with nine universities, including Bellarmine University, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Simmons College of Kentucky, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University.
• Increasing the total number of paid internships at the Kentucky Department for Public Health from six interns in Spring/Summer 2022 to 136 interns in Spring 2025 through collaboration with KDPH employees and university staff. Impressively, nine of these interns have been hired by KDPH.
• Offering public health experiential learning opportunities to 457 university students by scheduling two Kentucky Public Health Association (KPHA) Student Engagement Pre-conferences (2023/2024) and eight Discover, Experience, Apply and Learn (DEAL) Days.
• Creating a Practicum Placement Catalog that allows KDPH staff to share program-specific internship opportunities with university staff and students for each semester. This catalog also includes links for program information and internship application forms.
• Developing new reporting processes and Internship Time and Attendance Tracking Forms to document work time and accomplishments for each intern.
• Creating fact sheets and informational documents to ensure accurate communication with KDPH staff, university staff, and university students.

Lindsey's innovative and creative approaches to the improvement and continued growth of KDPH’s Student Internship Program have contributed to the sustainment of a well-trained, response-ready, public health workforce.

Dia Obonyo, DrPH
Viral Hepatitis Program Manager
Kentucky Department for Public Health

Adaptable, committed, empathic, generous, hardworking, and knowledgeable are a few ways to describe Dr. Dia Obonyo. She has spent more than 15 years in public health, healthcare, and social services positions working with immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ persons, and others experiencing numerous barriers to care and services. In early 2023, Dr. Obonyo became the Program Manager for the Viral Hepatitis Program at the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Prior to stepping into the program manager role, she worked as the Prevention Coordinator in the Viral Hepatitis Program for three years. Dr. Obonyo also devoted five years to working in HIV care as part of the Ryan White Program.

During her time with the Viral Hepatitis program, Dr. Obonyo has spearheaded many important projects.

• She was one of the main contributors who developed the Viral Hepatitis C Elimination Plan for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This plan aims to reduce new hepatitis C infections and improve outcomes along the clearance cascade to approach a Commonwealth free of hepatitis C by the year 2035. This elimination plan has already been nationally recognized as a critical step towards HCV elimination.
• She led the enrollment process for the 340B Drug Pricing Program with the Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC). As a result of this program, DOC will be able to provide more services to persons who are incarcerated and reduce the number of infections of HCV in this population.

Dr. Obonyo is also committed to teaching the next generation of public health professionals. She currently teaches Global Public Health at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. In a letter of support, one of her current students stated “Dr. Dia continues to shape young minds like myself to be leaders and champions of global health. She has positively impacted my public health journey and equipped me to be an effective leader in global health.”

Kim Yazell

Kim Yazell has continually, throughout her 30+ year career gone above and beyond for public health. Advocating for Local Health Departments (LHDs) and never hesitating to speak up on behalf of LHDs or recognize their value.

Kim is a great communicator, trainer and collaborator. Kim was instrumental in 2012 in standing up/hiring the Regional Preparedness Coordinators and making that program what it is today. She was able to facilitate and form a close-knit relationship among that group of individuals, which has proven to be successful in sharing best practices and providing standardization across the state in that program.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic the request was made to create more open communication between LHDs and Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH). Kim had proven herself to be a convener and friend among KDPH and LHD colleagues which made this tall task perfectly suited for her. Kim took this task head on and began to lead frequent calls between KDPH and the LHDs. These calls became so valued that as the pandemic response began to stabilize, KDPH Leadership saw the value in what Kim had fostered. An idea emerged: around this newfound avenue of two-way communication between LHD’s and KDPH and the Area Health Liaison Program was created. The Area Health Liaison Program was really born out of the efforts initiated by Kim during the COVID-19 Response. As her colleagues, we see the love and effort she puts into this role and the dedication she has exhibited throughout her career as a Public Health Professional.

Steven Stack, MD, MBA, FAECP
Commissioner
Kentucky Department for Public Health

Sincere, empathetic, supportive, compassionate, and humble are a just few descriptors of this year’s recipient. His appointment was only a few weeks before our state had to respond to the threats of the COVID19 pandemic. He had to navigate department for public health staff, most of whom he had never met but entrusted to organize a response of epic proportion to protect the lives of Kentuckians. His calm, reassuring leadership has shown great determination and resolve in meeting the exhaustive list of everyday challenges of COVID19; from sending staff on a bus to pick up potentially infected Kentuckians in Texas who had been stranded on a cruise ship, to the oversight of the million moving parts of the vaccine roll-out, and a whole lot in between. Throughout, he has remained thoughtful in his decision-making, humbled by those he relies on for knowledge and expertise, compassionate toward the unique needs of every Kentuckian, and deeply invested in tapping into every skillset and resource available to see Kentucky through this seemingly unending pandemic.

For most public health staff, the COVID-19 response effort is the single priority that consumes our time and resources. Staff are battling long hours and weekends to continuously react to the daily challenges of the pandemic. Even in the midst of such a tremendous and pressing burden, he recognized there is so much more to public health than the ever-present pandemic response. For this reason, he re-launched Public Health Transformation and committed resources to enhance the movement, update and integration of KDPH’s strategic plan. Such foresight for the future of public health coupled with the lessons learned through COVID-19 will create a cultural movement for change and ultimately, improve the health and safety of the people of Kentucky.

Our recipient typifies the service of Dr. Russell E. Teague, who served as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Health for 15 years (1956-1970). He demonstrates the leadership quality of Dr. Teague, who became President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers and is the elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Association. Throughout his career, he has served in numerous leadership roles, including serving as the youngest President of the American Medical Association. He has extensive experience in healthcare policy at the federal, state, and local levels. He also has significant engagements in health information technology as well as physician licensure, regulation, and assessment.

Regarding working with Dr. Stack throughout this pandemic, Secretary Friedlander said, “Dr. Stack is someone who gets things done in a collaborative way, in a way that builds all of us up. I can’t imagine where we would be without his leadership.” Jan Chamness, Director of Women’s Health at KDPH summed it up best in her letter of support for his nomination, saying, “It could be said ALL public health practitioners are deserving of recognition for their unwavering commitment during the past year. However, there needed to be a leader, and there is no individual more deserving of this meritorious achievement award. His leadership continually provides the motivation to fight the good fight and make us proud to work in public health.”

Before serving as a Public Health Official, Dr. Steven J. Stack has had 20 years of experience in emergency medicine clinical practice and emergency department management. Born and raised in Cleveland, Dr. Stack graduated magna cum laude in classical studies from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He completed his medical education and emergency medicine residency at the Ohio State University and his MBA at the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business.

Brittany Parker, MPH
Deputy Director
Franklin County Health Department

In the words of a colleague, “she has inspired many to improve public health and all who have worked with her call it an honor, joy and even a blessing. Her innovative approaches, meritorious achievement and far reaching contributions to public health improvement make her deserving of the recognition of this award.”

This individual has been an asset across many Kentucky communities due in part to her expertise in the concentrations of quality improvement, performance management, strategic planning, accreditation, community health assessment and community health improvement planning and facilitation. It is said that her commitment to Kentucky’s health is unparalleled.

Our awardee has also been a light for others when working through accreditation. As an active leader in the Kentucky Accreditation Coordinators Workgroup, she has been able to guide peers through the process and make what can be a tedious job a fun and exciting new challenge. She also became one of the first accreditation coordinators to lead her health department to national reaccreditation.

“She never settles for the status quo and her brain is always in QI mode, looking for ways to continually improve the way that public health operates…She truly is an asset to our Kentucky Public Health Workforce”.

This year’s 2020 Russell E. Teague Award goes to Brittany Parker, Deputy Director at the Franklin Co HD.

• 2019: Dr. Richard Miles
• 2018: Robert Slaton, Ed.D
• 2017: Bonita Bobo
• 2016: Dr. Rice Leach
• 2015: Alan Kalos
• 2014: April Harris
• 2013: James “Steve” Davis
• 2012: Paula Alexander
• 2011: Roger Trent
• 2010: Doug Thoroughman
• 2009: Georgia Heise
• 2008: Shawn D. Crabtree
• 2007: Anita Simmons
• 2006: Linda Sims
• 2005: Jack Morris
• 2004: Sharon Stumbo
• 2003: John Poundstone, MD
• 2002: Edmond “Ned” Fitzgibbons
• 2001: Gail Timperio
• 2000: Dr. Thomas S. Wallace
• 1999: Judge Mike Miller
• 1998: Rondall H. Leslie, MD
• 1997: H. Mac Vandiviere, MD
• 1996: Kenneth B. Fiser
• 1995: Larry Davis, MS
• 1994: Rhenda K. Mills, RN
• 1993: Ova D. Pittman, Jr. MS RS
• 1992: W. E. Becknell, MD
• 1991: Viola D. Brown, ARNP
• 1990: Ted Hanekamp, MPH
• 1989: Bedford Walker
• 1988: E. Austin Jr, MPH
• 1987: Phillip R. Spangler, MPH
• 1986: Pete Campassi, Jr.
• 1985: Tim Lee Carter, MD
• 1984: Charles L. Goodin
• 1983: Harvey Heinemann
• 1982: Charles E. Hume
• 1981: M. A. Shepherd, MD
• 1980: Vesper Jones
• 1979: Steve Sandlin
• 1978: William Pickett
• 1977: Irving Bell
• 1976: W. E. Davis, MD
• 1975: Carlos Hernandez, MD, MPH
• 1974: Shelby Johnson
• 1973: Ray Biggerstaff, Jr., EdD
• 1972: William R. Willard, MD
• 1971: Mildred Gabbard, MD