Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Health Award

The Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Health Award recognizes an Emory University student, staff, or faculty member for outstanding academic merit or achievement, exemplary service, or superlative performance towards global health impact. The recipient receives the endowed award as part of the annual event, InFocus: Emory Excellence in Global Health.

The 2024 award recipient is Melinda Simon of Emory’s Office of the General Counsel. The reach of her work extends into many aspects of Emory’s global health impact and includes providing leadership and legal counsel to EGHI. When accepting the award, Simon shared that the most rewarding part of her job is having the “opportunity to support and facilitate the amazing work of others,” which she does by ensuring Emory’s programs, staff, faculty and students are supported by solid legal frameworks and guidance at home and abroad. 

Honoring Our History

Jeffrey P. Koplan
The Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Health Award, inaugurated in 2022, is named in honor of Jeff Koplan, who founded Emory Global Health Institute in 2006. Dr. Koplan served as EGHI Director and Emory Vice President for Global Health until 2021. He continues to serve EGHI as a senior strategic advisor to the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance program and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes. With his extensive international public health experience, Dr. Koplan is a standard-bearer for global health and health equity.

Read more about Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD.

Awarding Emory Excellence in Global Health

Recipients of the Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Health Award are innovators who work within and beyond the University. With this endowed award, EGHI strengths our commitment to fostering global health leaders who seek to improve public health and promote health equity around the world.

Learn about the Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Health Award recipients:

Watch Dr. Jain’s acceptance of the inaugural award