Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD, and Margaret Hoein, PhD, MPH — both researchers at the CDC — received 2018 Service to America Medals. The awards, often referred to as the "Sammies," recognize federal employees' talents and achievements in the realm of public health.
Dr. Yeargin-Allsopp, an epidemiologist and pediatrician, is the associate director for Children with Special Healthcare Needs at CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. She won the Career Achievement Medal, which recognizes a federal employee for leading significant and sustained accomplishments throughout a more than 20-yearcareer.
Dr. Honein, an epidemiologist in NCBDDD and director of the CDC's Division of Congenital and Developmental Disorders, won the Science and Environment Medal, which recognizes a federal employee's significant accomplishments in scientific fields such as biomedicine, energy or resource conservation. Dr. Honein served as co-lead of the Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force during CDC's emergency zika response efforts where she investigated the effects of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.
"These two top researchers are a shining example of CDC's commitment to excellence in science," CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, said in a press release. "Their accomplishments have improved — are still improving — the health of our families and our nation."
The Sammies will be presented at the 17th annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals Awards Gala on Oct. 2in Washington, D.C.