The Juan Carlos Finlay Award was originally established by the Hispanic Officers Steering Committee (HOSteC), predecessor to the Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee (HOAC). The award honors individuals, organizations or groups who through work performance and other activities have demonstrated leadership in the development of programs, methods, or services that improve access to and/or health services for Hispanics and other minorities. The award honors two individuals, groups, or organizations for:
Juan Carlos Finlay (1833 1915), was a physician and epidemiologist who discovered that the mosquito was the vector for yellow fever. Dr. Finlay was born in Puerto Principe (now Camaguey), Cuba, on December 3, 1833. He received his degree in medicine from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1855, and after further study in Havana and Paris began his medical practice at Matanzas and then in Havana, Cuba.
Dr. Finlay was deeply involved in the great sanitary problems of his country and in 1879 he was named by the Cuban Government to serve with the North American Commission that was in Cuba to study the causes of yellow fever. During his work with the commission, he theorized that the transmission of yellow fever required a vector and presented his theory in 1881 to the International Sanitary Conference in Washington, D.C. In 1881 Finlay also presented a paper to the Academy of Sciences of Havana indicating that a mosquito, Culex faciatus (now known as Aedes aegypti), was the vector of the yellow fever organism. Though supported by numerous experiments and observations, his theory was not accepted by the scientific world until 1901, when Walter Reed confirmed his findings in a report before the International Sanitary conference at Havana. This resulted in the work of W.C. Gorgas in Cuba and Panama, ending the plague that for more than 200 years had scourged the Caribbean and Gulf coastal areas.
Members of the USPHS Commissioned Corps or equivalent civil service professionals. Current voting members of the HOAC are not eligible.
Each nomination shall describe the specific accomplishments of the candidate (individual or organization) who has performed in one or more of the following areas:
Applications are solicited beginning January of each year with a submission deadline in mid-March. Stay tuned for 2010 submission information or contact the Awards Subcommittee chairperson for more information.
Awards are presented annually at the U.S. Public Health Service Scientific and Training Symposium.
Download Finlay Award Nomination Form
CDR Reginald Ballard has been selected by the Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee as the recipient of the 2008 Juan Carlos Finlay Award for Sustained Service / Career Dedication. The honor marks his career dedication and leadership in the development of programs, methods, and services that improved access to and/or health services for Hispanics and other minorities.
His exemplary work performance and proven leadership are evident in many ways: leadership in dental public health, clinical practice, and administration; years of service to Hispanic minority population while working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Division of Immigration Health Services (DIHS); development of oral health education tools in Spanish and English for both adults and children; expansion of the DIHS Dental Program from 5 to 15 facilities; and management of the entire DIHS Dental Program, providing 5 million dollars of dental treatment annual to “a largely Hispanic population.” He has shown leadership in his area of expertise that has resulted in significant improvement in Hispanic access to dental health care and services. The hard work and dedication during his career reflects exemplary performance, outstanding leadership, and an extraordinary dedication to clinical dental care and education. These and many more of his achievements exemplify the leadership and character that the Juan Carlos Finlay award seeks to recognize.
CDR Maria-Paz Smith has been selected by the Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee as the recipient of the 2008 Juan Carlos Finlay Award for Notable Achievement. The award honors activities that improve access to and/or health services for Hispanics and other minorities. Her service aboard the USS Boxer and with the International League of Medical Professionals (LIGA) provided dental health care among Hispanic populations that would have otherwise not received dental care.
Her volunteerism, initiative, and dedication have made a significant impact on the oral healthcare of Hispanic people in South America and Mexico. She used her training, education, and experience to provide services in hospitals, orphanages, and urban areas to the indigenous people of Mexico, an underserved population. As a member of LIGA, she used her own funding and personal leave time to serve the Tarahumara Indians in the remote Urique Canyon of Chihuahua, Mexico for 10 days. Taking two days to reach the patients at the bottom of an 8,000 foot canyon, she extracted over 200 decayed and infected teeth, providing pain relief after months and years of pain, and she completed over 100 restorations and sealants to patients who would otherwise not had any dental care. During this time she educated hundreds of patients on proper oral hygiene.
She again provided service to Hispanic underserved people in El Salvador and Peru while serving on the USS Boxer. She treated an average of 35 dental patients a day with limited field equipment and supplies, inadequate radiographs, and no water. Despite austere conditions, CDR Smith extracted over 215 teeth in less than one week. Her dedication went beyond routine dental care and included translation services and education of host country dentists. Her unmatched dedication to provide care to the Hispanic population is why she is receiving this award. This dedication and achievements exemplify the leadership and character that the Juan Carlos Finlay award seeks to recognize
RADM Kenneth Castro
CAPT Evangelina Montoya
CAPT Jose Morales