Hep B United to honor Corinna Dan, former HHS official
Doylestown, Nov. 19, 2020 – Hep B United and the HBV Forum are pleased to name Corinna Dan, RN, MPH, as the 2020 recipient of the Hepatitis B Federal Champion Award for her commitment to eliminating hepatitis B. Ms. Dan will receive the award at the Hep B United Virtual Summit on Dec. 4.
The Hepatitis B Federal Champion Award recognizes individuals at the national level for their outstanding contributions to communities impacted by hepatitis B. Past award recipients include Hepatitis B Congressional Champions U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng of New York.
Ms. Dan is being recognized for her long-time championship of policies and programs to prevent hepatitis B and improve the lives of communities disparately impacted by the disease. As former Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Ms. Dan worked across federal departments in partnership with community organizations to coordinate the national response to the viral hepatitis epidemics in the United States.
Ms. Dan worked to improve awareness and develop policy recommendations to eliminate mother-to-child or perinatal transmission of hepatitis B infection. She organized the first technical consultation, convening federal agencies, hepatitis B, and maternal and reproductive health experts around the country to identify model programs and policies.
“Corinna's work in hepatitis B has been instrumental in the fight for elimination and informing outreach and advocacy for vulnerable populations," said Jeffrey B. Caballero, co-chair Hep B United and executive director, AAPCHO. "She has been a true partner to Hep B United and ensuring that our coalition's priorities are addressed at the highest levels of HHS. I have been honored to work alongside Corinna, and I thank her for her outstanding leadership and dedication to hepatitis B elimination.”
Veronica Miller, PhD, co-chair of the HBV Forum Steering Committee and executive director of the Forum for Collaborative Research, said: “Corinna’s commitment to sound policies and effective programs to combat viral hepatitis is inspiring. We celebrate her tireless leadership in bridging ‘boots-on-the-ground’ implementers with policy makers to promote public health,”
Before her time at HHS, Ms. Dan served as a Hepatitis B Policy Fellow with AAPCHO, focused on addressing hepatitis B-related health disparities and promoting projects and amplifying the voices of partners representing the African immigrant and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
About Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B is one of the world’s most common infections and the primary cause of liver cancer, which is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the world. Up to 292 million are chronically infected, and almost 1 million people die each year from hepatitis B-related liver failure and liver cancer. In the U.S., one in 20 Americans has been infected with hepatitis B, and up to 2.2 million are chronically infected. The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, unprotected sex, unsterile needles, and from an infected mother to her newborn due to blood exchange during delivery. Although hepatitis B is preventable and treatable, there is still no complete cure for this deadly liver infection.
About Hep B United: Hep B United is a national coalition established by the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Association of Asian and Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) to address the public health challenge of hepatitis B by increasing awareness, screening, vaccination and linkage to care for all Americans, with a particular focus on Asian-American and Pacific Islander populations that are disproportionately impacted. To learn more, visit www.hepbunited.org.
About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with an office in Washington, D.C. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call 215-489-4900. To donate, contact Jean Holmes at 215-489-4900 or jean.holmes@hepb.org.
About the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization (AAPCHO): AAPCHO is a national association of community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration, and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders in the United States. To learn more, visit www.aapcho.org.