Reed V. Tuckson Receives 2025 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award

Reed V. Tuckson, MD, FACP, a prominent health advocate, connector and leader, today received the 2025 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award. Tuckson’s work focuses on promoting and advancing innovative strategies that improve health outcomes for people of all backgrounds and empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health.

This year’s award was presented to Tuckson at the annual meeting of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), along with his lecture. The CDC Foundation with the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation honored Tuckson for his substantial contributions to advancing health education and for innovative utilization of telehealth and remote tools to enhance local and national community engagement, making health education more accessible for all Americans.

The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award, first presented in 1992, recognizes a distinguished leader who makes significant contributions to health education and health promotion through program development or delivery, policy, advocacy or research.

“Dr. Tuckson’s leadership in health education has had a profound impact on communities across the nation. His innovative use of technology, coupled with his dedication to making health information accessible to all, has paved the way for more effective health education,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO, CDC Foundation. “This award is a well-deserved recognition of his impactful contributions to improving public health and empowering individuals to take charge of their well-being.”

Tuckson works to bring together multi-disciplinary health disciplines, community health assets, and technology innovations on behalf of optimal health for communities and individuals. He has enjoyed success in using technology and media platforms to enhance health education, utilizing telemedicine and digital tools to expand the reach of health education initiatives and make them more accessible for individuals in often underserved and remote communities. His extensive knowledge and expertise have allowed him to effectively communicate complex health information across audiences, which has had a lasting impact on health education.

“Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Tuckson has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to improving public health outcomes through education and awareness initiatives. His tireless efforts to promote health literacy and empower individuals to make informed decisions about their well-being have left an indelible mark on communities across the nation,” stated Wayne A.I. Frederick, MD, Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery, Howard University, who helped champion Tuckson’s nomination for the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award.

Tuckson is co-convener of the Coalition for Trust in Health & Sciences and co-founder of the Black Coalition Against COVID. Previously, he served as executive vice president and chief of Medical Affairs for UnitedHealth Group. His prior roles include serving as president of the Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, senior vice president for Professional Standards of the American Medical Association, senior vice president for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and the commissioner of public health for Washington, D.C.

Tuckson is a respected leader in his field, having held prominent leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health, National Academy of Medicine, numerous Federal Advisory Committees and multiple corporate, nonprofit and academic boards. He has been recognized by Modern Healthcare Magazine's listing of the “50 Most Powerful Physician Executives” in healthcare, by Ebony magazine as one of the 100 most powerful executives in corporate America, and as a “Washingtonian of the Year” by the Washingtonian magazine.

The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award was named in memory of Elizabeth Fries, who was a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and co-director of the Massey Cancer Center Outreach Program. She made many important contributions to program development, implementation and evaluation. The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award recipients receive a $50,000 prize. The award and lecture are presented annually at the SOPHE conference, which draws approximately 900 health education researchers, faculty, practitioners and students for the latest research and practice in health education. Founded in 1950, SOPHE’s mission is to provide global leadership in health promotion and to promote the health of society.

The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation is a nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1991. The mission of the Foundation is to identify and honor individuals, organizations or institutions that have made great contributions to the health of the public. The Foundation seeks to reward accomplishment rather than promise, practicality rather than theory.

The CDC Foundation is honored to partner with the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation, which established and funds the award. As of 2016, the CDC Foundation manages and administers the Fries Awards for Health, which include the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health and the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award.