Paul Erwin, M.D., Dr.Ph., dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was honored for his contributions to public health initiatives in Tennessee. Erwin received the Doris Spain Award for Distinguished Service from the Tennessee Public Health Association.
Receiving this award is especially meaningful to Erwin due to his relationship with Spain.
“Doris Spain was my boss when I worked in the Tennessee Department of Health, and for the past 15 years, she has been a mentor and friend,” Erwin said. “She has devoted her career to the meaningful and valuable work of the Tennessee Public Health Association, creating one of the strongest state affiliates of the American Public Health Association across the country. Receiving the award for serving the TPHA that bears her name is humbling and a very high honor.”
Erwin has been a member of TPHA since 1991 and served as president from 2016-2017. Before joining UAB as the dean of the School of Public Health, Erwin was a professor and the head of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville Department of Public Health, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
Since his appointment at UAB, he has joined the Alabama Public Health Association.