Southern Health Association

Parikh Receives Howell Special Meritorious Award

Ashvin Parikh, Health Services Administrator for Area 7 of the Alabama Department of Public Health, was the recipient of the 2010 SHA Howell Special Meritorious Award for contributions to public health.

Ashvin has been with the Alabama Department of Public Health for 19 years and during that time he has made a significant impact on preventative health and access to healthcare for one of the poorest areas of Alabama. During his time as administrator, five new county health department buildings have been constructed, which have been a vital addition to the delivery of health care services in the Black Belt counties of Alabama. He has developed partnerships with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and several urology groups to provide prostate cancer screenings at local county health departments. Additionally, he has developed partnerships with Alabama’s Black Belt Action Committee, University of Alabama Sight Savers, and the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University. As a result of these partnerships, the access to health care in one of the poorest areas of Alabama has significantly improved.

In one of the letters of support, Ashvin was described as “one of the most selfless, giving persons that I know. I have had the pleasure to work with him for many years and have observed firsthand his unfailing commitment to public health and his many behind-the-scenes support that he has provided to many individuals and organizations.

Ashvin has served the Alabama Public Health Association in numerous capacities. He was President when AlPHA was going through a very difficult time financially and with his leadership, they became much stronger and more viable. Ashvin was President when SHA met with Alabama a few years ago and we saw first hand the excellent job he did in coordinating that meeting.

We are proud to recognize Ashvin Parikh for his many contributions he has made to public health.