ASPPH | ASPPH Student Services Excellence Award

2021 Winner

Vincent James, MBA, MA, MS

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Mr. Vincent W. James recently retired after serving as Director of Admissions for twenty years at the Harvard T.H. Chan school of Public Health. Prior to that he served as Associate Director of [Undergraduate] Admissions at MIT. Prior to that, Mr. James worked in the private sector as a chemical engineer and systems analyst. Mr. James received degrees at MIT, Rutgers University, and the University of Phoenix.

While his title (and phone number…and email address) did not change the whole-time, many aspects of his job did. One of the major changes was transitioning to SOPHAS, the common application service, and being one of the charter schools to use it. Mr. James was a strong supporter of SOPHAS. He was one of the initial members of the SOPHAS Advisory Council and served as its 2^nd Chair. While on the council, he traveled around the country provided training and support for other schools and programs who were coming on board to use SOPHAS. In 2015, he received the SOPHAS Hero Award in recognition of his contributions.

In addition to speaking to hundreds of prospective students over the years, Mr. James helped initiated the process of having joint information sessions for prospective students with other school and programs of public health.

Criteria for award
Nominations should include a description of the nominee’s outstanding contributions in:
- Demonstration of innovative leadership for enhancing excellence, health equity, and inclusiveness in academic public health student services.
- Any or all areas of Recruitment, Admissions, Student Services, Financial Aid, and Career Services.
Examples of activities which will be considered:
- Unique or innovative service delivery models;
- Exemplary processes or procedures that simplify or add value for the students;
- Collaborative efforts either across functional areas or institutions;
- Unique models to target underrepresented groups; and
- Innovative training or professional development efforts.
Eligibility
Nominees must be full-time staff or faculty from an ASPPH-member, CEPH-accredited school or program of public health. View the list of ASPPH-member institutions. The nominee must have:
- A primary appointment in an ASPPH-member school or program of public health; and
- Demonstrate a notable record of success and innovation in the field (minimum five years).
Nomination Process
All nominations must contain the following materials:
- Nominee and nominator contact information;
- Overview statement of nominee’s contributions (limit 5,000 characters);
- Nominee’s curriculum vitae; and
- Two additional letters of support (student letters will not be considered).
Award Details
- $1,000 Cash Prize
- Complimentary registration for ASPPH Annual Meeting
- Recognition at the Awards Ceremony
Nomination Cycle

Nominations for 2022 will be accepted beginning in August 2021.
Past Winners

2020

Scot McIntosh, MS

West Virginia University School of Public Health

2019

Marlyn Delva, EdD

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

2018

Erin E. Schneider, MPH

Texas A&M School of Public Health

2017

Mary Murphy-Phillips, MS

Boston University School of Public Health

2016

Mary Ann Smith, PhD

University of Texas School of Public Health

2015

Kara Brown Robinson, EdD, MS

Emory University Rollins School of Public Health