Hunter College President Ann Kirschner, together with Laurie M. Tisch, founder and president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, today announced the three winners of the 2024 Joan M. Tisch Community Health Prize. The honorees were introduced during a ceremony this evening at Hunter’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute.
The two individual winners for 2024 are: Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde, MPH, PHD, of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst; and Dr. Theodore “Ted” Long, MD, MHS, of NYC Health + Hospitals. Each honoree receives a $10,000 prize — half of which is designated to their organizations.
This year’s organizational winner is Mixteca, a community services center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn that addresses critical needs in health, education, social, and legal issues facing the burgeoning Mexican and Latin American immigrant community in the borough. Mixteca receives a $20,000 cash award, the largest ever given in the history of the Tisch prizes at Roosevelt House.
“We are delighted to honor these tremendously accomplished leaders in urban public health,” said Kirschner. “They exemplify the long tradition of the Tisch Prize at Hunter, providing services and leadership that make a difference in their communities. In turn, we believe the Tisch Prize makes a true impact on health care and health services in diverse communities of our city. This year, the prizes recognize individual and organizational health heroes who have made their own major contributions to these neighborhoods, and during the most challenging of times: the aftermath of a pandemic and the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants in need of health care. Our honorees have risen to the occasion with distinction, and we are so proud to offer them this recognition.”
Laurie Tisch initiated the Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize in 2011 to honor her mother Joan’s legendary humanitarian activism and to recognize distinguished accomplishments in the field of urban public health. Those awarded the prize since its launch have included people and groups addressing health inequities in treatment, food insecurity, behavioral health, and access to services for the immigrant community and the aging. Past Tisch-sponsored programs have also supported a research fellow and public health-focused public forums.
Commented Laurie Tisch: “As we honor the 2024 Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize winners, we celebrate the exceptional contributions of Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde and Dr. Theodore ‘Ted’ Long, whose dedication, expertise and work with refugees has profoundly impacted NYC Health + Hospitals and our entire community. Their unwavering commitment to public health and innovative leadership exemplify the spirit of this award. Additionally, we are proud to recognize Mixteca, whose tireless work in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, has set a new standard for community services. The increased prize this year reflects our deep appreciation for their extraordinary efforts in building a healthier and more equitable society. Congratulations to all the honorees, and may their achievements inspire continued progress in community health.”
The 2024 awards were handed out at this evening’s ceremony by Harold Holzer, the Jonathan F. Fanton Director of Roosevelt House, and by the 2024 Tisch Prize jury: Dr. Jonathan Fanton, who served as chairman, and jurors: Dr. Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, former NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services; longtime Hunter College Foundation member and benefactor Joan Grabe ’60; Stephanie Woolhandler, MD, distinguished professor at the Hunter School of Public Health; Sue Kaplan, research professor at NYU’s Department of Population Health; and Ann Marie Mauro, the Joan Hansen Grabe Dean of the Hunter School of Nursing. Dr. Fanton, Dr. Barrios– Paoli, and Professor Kaplan are all are all members of the Roosevelt House Advisory Board.
Dr. Barrios-Paoli, also a former Chair of the New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation, presented the award tonight to Mixteca.
2024 HONOREES
Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde was honored for her leadership as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. She was cited for embodying the mission of the public health system to deliver equitable health care to all New Yorkers, and for exemplifying the values of compassion, integrity, and respect for all. Ms. Artega-Landaverde has guided the institution’s new programming efforts as it navigates its post-pandemic future — expanding access to care, launching new specialty services, and widening the hospital’s role in addressing the social determinants of health. Dr. Artega has designated Elmhurst Hospital’s Adolescent Unit Behavioral Health Center as a beneficiary of her 2024 prize.
Dr. Ted Long, senior vice president of Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals, was singled out for his visionary leadership and dedication to improving the care of the most vulnerable New Yorkers. As former executive director of the NYC Test & Treat Corps, his work provided accessible, no-cost COVID-19 testing and supported quarantined patients with isolation resources. His supervision of the NYC Care program helps provide universal access to care for all New Yorkers. Additionally, Dr. Long leads operations for the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers for asylum seekers entering New York City, as well as for the citywide Arrival Center. Dr. Long with earmark his portion of the Tisch Prize to a new “Roosevelt Children’s Library” at New York City’s Health + Hospital’s New York City Asylum-Seeker Arrival Center.
Based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Mixteca was honored for its tireless support of its community. As the only Spanish-speaking organization in the borough dedicated to providing such services to asylum seekers, Mixteca’s staff and volunteers also provide linguistically and culturally specific support in Spanish and four Indigenous languages. Especially since 2023, Mixteca has mobilized to meet the overwhelming demand for resources, serving at the forefront of support for thousands of newly arrived asylum-seekers from across Latin America, and ensuring that undocumented and newly arrived immigrants understand their rights and gain access to essential resources.
