ASTDA Awards recognize individuals who epitomize the Association’s mission to foster scientific knowledge, develop leadership, and champion practice in the field of sexually transmitted infections. Individuals may be recognized for significant scholarship in medical, epidemiologic, laboratory, or behavioral research; for the development of high-impact programs in partnership with key communities; for exemplary teaching or mentorship of developing leaders; or for other distinctive service to the field.

We are pleased to announce that the CDC has asked ASTDA to henceforth manage the Jack N. Spencer Award. The Jack N. Spencer Award is given to honor individuals for a career of exceptional contributions to excellence in STD prevention characterized by outstanding commitment to science-based programs, continuous innovation, and profound commitment to helping people. This prestigious award is presented every other year at the STD Prevention Conference. Because the ASTDA Distinguished Career Award and the Jack N. Spencer Award both honor the entire careers of exceptional individuals, henceforth, individuals who receive either award will not be eligible to receive the other award. However, in the spirit of fairness, prior recipients of either award (i.e., prior to 2022) may be selected to receive the other award. The list of prior recipients of all ASTDA Awards including the Jack N. Spencer award can be found below.

Up to four (4) awards may be presented annually:

  1. The ASTDA Distinguished Career Award is presented to a person with a long and extraordinary career in the field of sexually transmitted diseases. Individuals whose career focus has primarily been program science should be nominated for the Jack N. Spencer Award.
  2. The Jack N. Spencer Award is presented to a person with a long and extraordinary career in sexually transmitted diseases prevention characterized primarily by outstanding commitment to program science (this award is presented every other year).
  3. The ASTDA Achievement Award is presented to a person at mid-career to acknowledge an outstanding body of work in sexually transmitted diseases or to an individual for a single major achievement in the field.
  4. The ASTDA Early Career Award is presented to a person engaged in outstanding work in the field of sexually transmitted diseases who is no more than seven years from completion of training.

2025 ASTDA Award Winners

Barbara Van Der Pol

Distinguished Career Award: Barbara Van Der Pol, PhD, MPH

Barbara (Bobbie) Van Der Pol is Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine with a joint appointment in the UAB School of Public Health in the Department of Health Behavior.  She is the Director of the UAB Infectious Diseases STD Laboratory. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of new diagnostic tools as well as healthcare utilization behaviors, including vaccine acceptability. She performs implementation research related to adoption of highly sensitive point of care testing in clinical and non-traditional settings. She is passionate about expanding access to tools to improve sexual health of all populations, and about mentoring others in the field of STI and sexual health research. She is a past President of ASTDA and currently serves on both the Executive Committee for the International Union Against STI and as the President of the International Society for STD Research.

Stephanie Cohen

Achievement Award: Stephanie Cohen, MD, MPH

Stephanie Cohen is the Director of the STI and HIV Branch in the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Population Health Division and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the Division of Infectious Diseases. From 2010-2023, she served as the Medical Director of San Francisco City Clinic (SFCC), a national center of excellence in sexual health care. She attends on the HIV/ID consult service at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and provides HIV primary care at SF City Clinic. She has helped lead multiple research studies on biomedical HIV and STI prevention, including the US PrEP demonstration project and the DoxyPEP study. Throughout her career, she has championed integrating STI and HIV prevention and care services and in working to rapidly translate innovative approaches into public health practice. She is honored to have worked with so many incredible mentors and colleagues who understand the joy of seeing a treponeme through a darkfield microscope and who are committed to assuring that all communities have access to quality, stigma-free sexual health care.

Olivia Van Gerwen

Early Career Award: Olivia Van Gerwen, MD, MPH

Olivia (Libby) Van Gerwen is an Assistant Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Infectious Diseases, Heersink School of Medicine. She is a physician-scientist who conducts community-engaged, clinical research in many areas of sexual health, including improving sexual health outcomes for trans and gender diverse patients receiving gender affirming care, improving access to and experiences within healthcare settings for these populations, HIV prevention, STI diagnostics, and vaginal health. She provides gender-affirming care to patients at the UAB Gender Health clinic, primary care and HIV treatment to patients living with HIV at the UAB 1917 Clinic, and management of complex vaginal health infections at the UAB Vaginitis Specialty Clinic. She enjoys teaching medical students, residents, and fellows in both clinical and didactic settings. She is also faculty member for the Southeast Prevention Training Center, where she is a lecturer and trainer on topics relevant to sexual health and STIs for community and public health partners.

List of ASTDA Award Winners

Year Distinguished Career Award (formerly Thomas Parran Award) Jack N. Spencer Award Achievement Award Early Career Award Best STD Paper by an Early Career Investigator
2025 Barbara Van Der Pol, PhD, MPH Stephanie Cohen, MD, MPH Olivia Van Gerwen, MD, MPH
2024 Connie Celum, MD, MPH Roxanne P. Kerani, PhD, MPH Lorenzo Giacani, PhD Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz, MD Diana M. Tordoff
2023 J. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, MS Rebecca Brotman, PhD, MPH Jenell Stewart, DO, MPH Emily Rowlinson, PhD, MPH
2022 Jeanne Marrazzo, MD Julie Schillinger, MD, MSc. Kyle Bernstein, PhD, ScM Stacey Griner, PhD, MPH Ling Kong, MD
2021 Cornelis “Kees” Rietmeijer, PhD, MD, MSPH Bill Miller, MD, PhD, MPH Anna Cope, PhD, MPH Jennifer Sanderson Slutsker
2020 Gail Bolan, MD Steve Kowalewski* Gina Ogilvie, MD, MSc, FCFP, DrPH Claire Bristow, PhD, MPH, MSc
2019 Charlotte Gaydos, DrPH, MPH Patricia Kissinger, PhD, MPH Yonatan Grad, MD, PhD Jeb Jones
2018 Max Chernesky, PhD Susan Blank* Stephanie Taylor, MD Alexis Roth, PhD Emily Learner
2017 Jo-Anne Dillon, PHD Lisa Manhart, PHD Christine Khosropour, PHD
2016 Anne Marie Rompalo, MD, ScM Jeffrey Klausner* Joan M. Chow, MPH, DrPH Lindley A. Barbee, MD, MPH
2015 Anna Wald, MD, MPH Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH Robert Kircaldy, MD, MPH
2014 Franklyn Judson, MD Dayne Collins* Christina Marra, MD Christina Muzny, MD
2013 Jonathan Zenilman, MD Jane Schwebke, MD Jesse Clark, MD
2012 David Martin, MD Cornelis “Kees” Rietmeijer* Kim Workowski, MD Ina Park, MD, MS
2011 Thomas C. Quinn, MD, MSc Connie Celum, MD, MPH Rebecca M. Brotman, PhD, MPH
2010 H. Hunter Handsfield, MD Gail Bolan and Charlie Rabins* Harrell Chesson, PhD Jared Baeten, MD, PhD
2009 Sharon Hillier, PhD J. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, MS Khalil G. Ghanem, MD
2008 Edward W. Hook, MD Dorothy Gunter* Charlotte Gaydos, DrPH Rachel L. Winer, PhD
2007 Sheila A. Lukehart, PhD Lauri Markowitz, MD Jami Leichliter, PhD
2006 Sevgi Aral, PhD Susan DeLisle* David Martin, MD Laura Bachmann, MD, MPH
2005 Myron (Mike) S. Cohen, MD Geoff Garnett, PhD William Michael Geisler, MD, MPH
2004 Robert C. Brunham, MD Martin Goldberg* Anna Wald, MD, MPH Matthew Golden, MD, MPH
2003 Willard Cates Jr., MD Laura Koutsky, PhD Caroline Cameron, PhD
2002 Richard Rothenberg, MD, MPH John J. Potterat* David DuPuy Celentano, ScD, MHS Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD
2001 Harald zur Hausen, MD Penelope J. Hitchcock, DVM
2000 Walter E. Stamm, MD Jack N. Spencer* Edward W. Hook III, MD Arturo Centurion-Lara, MD
1999 Robert B. Jones, MD, PhD Thomas C. Quinn, MD
1998 Peter Piot, MD, PhD Sevgi 0. Aral, PhD
1997 Lawrence Corey, MD Judith N. Wasserheit, MD
1996 William M. McCormack, MD Sharon L. Hillier, PhD
1995 David Taylor-Robinson, MD Walter E. Stamm, MD
1994 William W. Darrow, PhD Attila Lorincz, PhD
1993 Lars Westrom, MD
1992 P. Frederick Sparling, MD
1991 Allan R. Ronald, MD Sheila A. Lukehart, PhD
1990 Julius Schachter, PhD Willard Cates, Jr.,MD/Jack Kirby/Jack Spencer
1989 Paul J. Wiesner, MD Frank Plummer, MD
1988 John C. Hume, MD
1987 J.David Oriel, MD Richard S. Stephens, PhD
1986
1985 James N. Miller, PhD Eric Sandstrom, MD
1984 E.Russell Alexander. MD Lawrence Corey, MD
1983 King K. Holmes, MD, PhD Steven Margolis, PhD
1982 R. Duncan Catterall, MD Daniel C. William, MD
1981 James W. Curran, MD
1980 Harry Pariser, MD Franklyn N. Judson, MD
1979 Claude Nicol, CBE, FRCP William M. McCormack, MD
1978 Thomas B. Turner, MD
1977 Nicholas J. Fiumara, MD
1976 Angelo F. “Jack” Marino Thomas J. Fitzgerald, PhD
1975 Rudolph H. Kampmeier, MD Paul J. Wiesner, MD
1974 Herman Beerman, MD Thomas M. Buchanan, MD
1973 Genevieve Stout
1972 William J. Brown, MD Joseph Forish

*Awarded by CDC