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Hillsborough County Health Department Manager Recipient Of 40 Under 40 Leaders In Health Award
A Hillsborough County Health Department Manager is the recipient of the presti- gious “40 Under 40 Leaders In Health” award. The award was presented by the Na- tional Minority Quality Forum (NMQF). The event was held in Washington, D. C., on April 17th, during Na- tional Minority Health Month.
The award recipient, Ms. Sophia Hector, MPH, CPH, is the Sexually Trans- mitted Disease Senior Man- ager for the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County.
Walter W. Niles, MPA, Administrator, Closing the Gap Grant, Florida Depart- ment of Health, Office of Mi- nority Health and Health Equity, Tallahassee, nomi- nated Ms. Hector for the award. He was her former mentor.
Ms. Hector is responsi- ble for promoting, protecting and improving the health of the community through edu-
cation, screening, treatment options for preventable com- municable diseases by plan- ning, managing and providing leadership for a program of 30 employees.
The National Minority Quality Forum established the 40 Under 40 Leaders in Health Awards to honor in- fluential young minority leaders making a difference in health care. The NMQF accepted nominations for honorees from across the United States, who work in health delivery, research and outreach. A wide range of health professionals were nominated including physi- cians, pharmacists, dentists, anesthesiologists, nurses, policy experts, researchers, and others.
The Forum is a research and educational organization dedicated to ensuring that high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communi- ties receive optimal health care. This nonprofit, nonpar- tisan organization integrates
MS. SOPHIA HECTOR, MPH, CPH
data and expertise in support of initiatives to eliminate health disparities. The Forum also strives to prepare the health system in the United States to provide op- timal health care for a di- verse society.
Ms. Hector has over 5 years of supervisory and human resource experience. She also has over 12 years public health experience in various programs and multi- ple County Health Depart-
ments.
During her public health
career, Ms. Hector has su- pervised the Family Planning Title X Program, Community Dental Program and School- Based Dental Sealant Pro- gram, and was an evaluator for the CDC’s Strategic Al- liance for Health Collabora- tive in FDOH-HC.
During the CDC initia- tive, Ms. Hector helped de- velop the “Anytime, Anywhere” breastfeeding campaign, tobacco-free poli- cies for public housing and mentored communities on CDC’s CHANGE tool.
Prior to working in Hills- borough, Ms. Hector was the Director for the Office of Healthy Lifestyles in Florida Department of Health – Charlotte County. She is trained in quality improve- ment, having achieved a cer- tification as a Six Sigma Green Belt, and has been in- volved in several QI initia- tives such as improving the breastfeeding rates in our
county, Healthy Babies, the Community Health Assess- ment (CHA) and the Com- munity Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
Ms. Hector also pos- sesses certifications in Public Health as well as a Florida Contract Manager. She ob- tained her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Florida in Chemistry and has a Master’s in Public Health, also from the University of South Florida.
The Forum aims to assist health-care providers, pro- fessionals, administrators, researchers, policy makers, and community and faith- based organizations in deliv- ering appropriate health care to minority communities. This assistance must be based on science, research, and analysis that lead to the effective organization and management of system re- sources to improve the qual- ity and safety of health care for the entire U. S. popula- tion, including minorities.
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