Dr. James C. Turner, executive director of the University of Virginia’s Department of Student Health, has won the Edward Hitchcock Award for Outstanding Contributions in College Health. The award honors members of the American College Health Association who have made contributions to advance the health of college students nationwide.

As president of the organization, Turner served as a visible national leader and public spokesperson regarding the impact the H1N1 pandemic had on the nation’s campuses in 2009. Through his quick action, he led the association in collecting aggregated national data on institutions of higher education and the role that college health services played in mitigating the virus.

Currently, Turner is working through the College Health Surveillance Network to gather data on vaccine delivery, communicable disease prevalence and other sources of mortality on college campuses.

Founded in 1920, the American College Health Association comprises more than 3,000 members who work collaboratively to provide products and services to college health professionals and their campuses.

— by Dana Cypress