Freudenheim Receives APHA’s Prestigious Lilienfeld Award for Teaching

Jo. L. Freudenheim, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, is the 2020 recipient of the Abraham Lilienfeld Award from the American Public Health Association’s Epidemiology Section. The award recognizes excellence in the teaching of epidemiology during the course of a career.

The award recognizes Freudenheim’s contributions to her field through her service as a mentor to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and in her role as director of a cancer epidemiology training program. She also served for a number of years as chair of UB’s Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, where she continues to teach as a professor.

“Jo has been a leader in cancer epidemiology. She has mentored dozens of trainees who have gone on to also be leaders in the field. Her impact has been tremendous. I am so pleased she was selected for this great honor,” said Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions and SUNY Distinguished Professor.

APHA’s Epidemiology Section Awards Session recognizes epidemiologists for major accomplishments, including teaching. The late Abraham Morris Lilienfeld was a prominent epidemiologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He is known for his work in expanding epidemiology to focus on chronic as well as infectious diseases.

Freudenheim is an internationally renowned expert in cancer epidemiology. She has conducted seminal research to understand factors that influence risk for cancer, particularly breast cancer, including the role of diet, alcohol and the physical environment. Her research has been funded for more than 25 years by the NIH and other federal funding agencies. She has authored more than 275 peer-reviewed publications in national and international high-impact journals, where they have helped shape the field of chronic disease epidemiology.