ORLANDO – Dr. Marie Jose Francois, a Haitian American and Executive Director of The Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention, Inc. (CMWP) was awarded Florida 2007 Outstanding Woman in Public Health from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health.
The awards ceremony took place on Monday, April 2, 2007 at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health.
The Dean of the College of Public Health, Donna Petersen said “that the month of April is Public Health month and it is only appropriate that these recipients be honored at the beginning of the month”. She also said that “as public health professionals, we must be mindful of the impact of what we do locally on public health in other parts of the world”.
Dr. Marie Jose Francois
Gabriela Ramirez, CMWP board chair and presenter of the award to Dr. Francois, said that “it was an honor for me to present this award to Dr. Francois whom I have known and worked with for many years. She also said that “through my interaction with Dr. Francois, I have come to see that her work embodies the prevention of diseases and the promotion of health”.
The Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award is given annually by the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida. The College of Public Health initiated the Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award in April 1988 to honor women in Florida who have made significant contributions to the field of public health.
The recipient of the first award was Dr. Flora Mae Wellings, retired Director of the State Epidemiology Research Center.
The Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization with the mission to enhance the quality of life for diverse and ethnic populations through the provision of health promotion services in Central Florida.
CMWP has a well-defined history of providing health education and outreach to Orange County’s minority population. From January 2001 to October 2005, the CMWP has provided health outreach services to over 18,000 residents of Orange County, 88% of which were minorities. CMWP is an established non-clinical setting, health education and outreach agency in Orlando Florida.
The organization has successfully partnered with community and social agencies to effectively address the health education needs of Orange County’s minority communities. For more information about the Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention, please visit our website at www.cmwp.org.
