The University of Iowa College of Public Health is recognizing four leaders whose contributions across a range of disciplines are helping to promote better health and prevent disease throughout the state of Iowa.

The 2013 Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards will be presented to Brian Hanft of Mason City, deputy director and environmental health service manager at Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health; Julie McMahon of Windsor Heights, Iowa, recently retired division director for the Iowa Department of Public Health; Mary O’Brien of West Des Moines, policy liaison for Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa; and Jerry York of Manchester, Iowa, owner and manager of PIECO, Inc. The award recipients, who were nominated by their peers in the Iowa public health practice community, will be honored at the Public Health Colloquium in Iowa City on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

College of Public Health Dean Sue Curry said the annual Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards celebrate the exceptional efforts of Iowa’s public health practitioners and recognizes individuals from diverse career paths who have worked to improve health and wellness throughout Iowa.

"All Iowans benefit from the efforts of these outstanding individuals,” says Curry. “These are front-line public health professionals as well as business leaders who are dedicated to protecting our environment, preventing chronic diseases, advocating for effective health policies, and safeguarding our food supply.”

Additional information about the 2013 Iowa Public Health Heroes Award recipients follows.

Hanft has actively supported public health at the local, state, and national levels for nearly 20 years. He is responsible for directing, coordinating, and supervising all public health service programs in Cerro Gordo County, including food inspections, swimming pool inspections, on-site sewage, nonpublic water wells, well plugging, well testing, animal confinements, mosquito surveillance, lead testing, radon, lead-free kids, and public health nuisances.

McMahon’s 45-year career in public health began in Cody, Wyo., as a public health nursing assistant. Later, she carried her passion for public health to her home state of Iowa, where she spent 26 years at the local and state levels in Fayette County, Dubuque County, and in Des Moines at the Iowa Department of Public Health, where she led the Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention.

O’Brien has been a long-time public health advocate in Iowa, particularly in the area of maternal and child health. She served the Iowa Public Health Association (IPHA) in numerous capacities, including leadership of the Maternal and Child Health section, the IPHA Board of Directors, and the IPHA Advocacy Committee. In addition, O'Brien served on the Iowa Maternal and Child Health Advisory Council, where she worked to increase women’s access to health care and reduce infant mortality rates in Iowa.

York is widely known and respected within the meat processing industry. His company, PIECO, Inc., is a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced cutting and grinding equipment. With a continuing commitment to consumer food safety concerns, PIECO innovations in meat processing and handling systems have increased business efficiency and reduced potential for bacteria growth and contamination.

Photos and additional information about the Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards can be found online here.