The Florida Public Health Association (FPHA) awarded Dr. H. Virginia McCoy with the 2017 J.Y. Porter, MD Award for her exceptional impact on the field of health promotion at the statewide organization’s recent annual education conference. Dr. McCoy is professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Florida International University Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. With three decades of service to Florida International, her contributions to public health also include being a founding and current board member of the Florida Institute of Health Innovation and a member of the FPHA Board of Directors. Her research program focuses on disparities in HIV/AIDS and drug/alcohol abuse among minority and migrant populations, and she has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles on the subject.

[Photo: Dr. H. Virginia McCoy receiving the 2017 J.Y. Porter, MD Award]