Outstanding Community Advocate Award
Shane Morgan, TransOhio
Shane Morgan is a trailblazer in the realm of transgender health. Over seven years ago, Shane found the nonprofit TransOhio with the aim of creating a safe space for trans individuals to come together and foster support. With a strong online and real world presence, TransOhio is the hub of the transgender community in Ohio. Shane is also responsible for organizing the annual TransOhio Transgender & Ally Symposium and working in conjunction with agencies to improve the safety of countless Ohioans.
Outstanding Community Advocate Award
Mimi Rivard, CNP, ANP, MSN, Equitas Health
Mimi Rivard is a nurse practitioner who has been involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS for over 25 years. She has worked with high-risk and dually diagnosed individuals around the nation and now concentrates her work at the Equitas Health Medical Center. Mimi has been integral in championing the availability of PrEP for Central Ohioans and works tirelessly to provide quality, patient-centered care.
Outstanding Community Advocate Award
Shaun Whybark, Equitas Health
Shaun Whybark is the embodiment of grassroots activism to end HIV/AIDS. Beginning with his experience with the Columbus AIDS Task Force, Shaun partnered with local and statewide organizations to implement a comprehensive intervention program tied to educating the MSM community regarding transmission and prevention of HIV. As Special Events Coordinator within Equitas Health, Shaun is mobilizing the community and leading their fundraising events.
Trailblazer Award
Gloria McCauley, BRAVO
Gloria McCauley is responsible for starting a lifelong conversation about violence and the LGBTQ community. As a founding board member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) and member of the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO) , her work with the personal experiences of victims of violence is rivaled only by her extensive influence on the state and national level. Considered a leading national expert on the subject of violence against and within the LGBTQ communities, Gloria has consulted with national leaders at the CDC, FBI, the Department of Justice and the White House. The curriculum she co-authored for LGBT specific self-defense training is used by numerous agencies around the country.
Trailblazer Award
Jose Rodriquez, Columbus Public Health
Jose Rodriguez has been a force in the AIDS and STI prevention community for over 25 years. His dedication to combating AIDS led him to become a member of the Columbus AIDS Task Force as well as the Ohio AIDS Coalition, a groundbreaking organization that coordinated advocacy efforts and provided healing retreats for HIV+ individuals. Jose has impacted the community at a personal level as well, at times even taking the effort to personally track down high-risk individuals. As an owner of the LGBTQ newspaper Outlook, he was instrumental in raising HIV awareness in the Columbus community before the internet was widely used. Now the Communications Director for Columbus Public Health, Jose is an integral part in the educational initiative around PrEP. Without a doubt, Jose’s unwavering commitment to the health of LGBTQ individuals has made him an invaluable resource to central Ohio.
Medical Provider Award
Dr. Michael Para, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Dr. Para has served as one of the top HIV/AIDS researchers, clinicians and public health advocates in central Ohio for nearly three decades. When, early in his career, the HIV/AIDS crisis was at its height, Dr. Para worked without the funding, attention, and experience that other areas received. He provided compassionate care when there was no cure and little hope, even working with lawmakers so that HIV testing could become anonymous. Then, his work with the development of protease inhibitors led the way to the treatments that turned HIV into a manageable illness. As a member of the Columbus AIDS Task Force Board and consultant for the ARC Ohio Medical Centers, Dr. Para continues to lay the foundation for high quality HIV primary care services. Today, he is an advocate for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and continues to be a vocal and tireless figure in the world of public health.
Medical Provider Award
Dr. Beth Tranen, Briggs Road Medical Center
Dr. Tranen is a general practitioner and runs her own family practice at Briggs Road Medical Center. Dr. Tranen has been a stalwart in the LGBTQ health community for many years and has paved the way for culturally competent care towards LGBTQ individuals that we hope to foster in every physician’s office. For individuals who have received unprofessional or prejudiced care after disclosure of an identity, Dr. Tranen is a promise that culturally competent care is welcome. In the words of a patient of hers, Dr. Tranen’s attitude towards LGBTQ patients and office practices “made all the difference.”
Health Provider Award
Erin Upchurch, LISW
Erin Upchurch is a social worker and activist who provides services to LGBTQ communities, particularly to gender creative and trans* youth. She is an experienced facilitator of trainings on diversity, organizational development, and advocacy with a special focus on cultural competency. She has given workshops on gender creative young people and methods to engage activism, facilitated support groups for young people and their families, and given public talks on compassion and diversity. Her impact has been significant and positive both to the individuals she assists and to the broader gender creative community of Central Ohio.
Emerging Leader Award
Dr. Andrew Keaster, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Dr. Keaster is a General Internal Medicine Resident at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center dedicated to improving the health of minority and marginalized populations. In his short time here, Dr. Keaster in conjunction with Dr. Maria Barnett started the first clinical for transgender health care at the CarePoint East Location. During the clinic’s development, he was heavily invested in and aggressively pursued the clinic’s initiation, staffing, funding, and success. Far from his only interest, Dr. Keaster has also given presentations on Latino Health and served globally in a municipal hospital in Qingdao, China. Without a doubt, we look forward to seeing what contributions Dr. Keaster will make over the course of his career.