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Winners selected by committee of alumni council
May 7, 2009
Leaders in South Carolina’s battle against HIV/AIDS and to improve delivery of health services to rural residents are the recipients of the 2009 Norman J. and Gerry Sue Arnold alumni awards.
The presentations were made Thursday, May 7 at the Arnold School’s 22nd annual Hooding Ceremony at the Koger Center for the Arts.
- The Norman J. Arnold Medal went to Dr. Bambi W. Gaddist, executive director of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council. Gaddist earned her doctorate from the Arnold School in 1988.
- The Gerry Sue Arnold Award went to Dr. Graham L. Adams, executive director of the South Carolina Office of Rural Health. Adams earned his doctorate from the Arnold School in 2000.
The awards are an annual feature of the Hooding Ceremony. They were established by the school's leading patron and his wife.
Dr. Bambi W. Gaddist
Gaddist, a New Jersey native, received a bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee University and a master’s degree from Indiana University.
She started South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council in a room in the back her house and has overseen its growth into a major effort to reduce the rate of HIV/AIDS and improve the quality of life of African Americans and others impacted by the human immunodeficiency virus.
She is a published author and consults with national and local organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Association of Health Education, National Association of STD Directors and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Last fall, Cable News Network identified her as a “CNN Hero,” a person deserving of recognition because they accomplish extraordinary deeds.
Dr. Graham L. Adams
Adams has fifteen years of experience in health care, working extensively in the areas of rural health, primary care, public health infrastructure development, community mental health and program development for underserved populations.
A Maryland native, Adams earned a bachelors degree from Frostburg State University in 1991. He became interested in the program at the Arnold School and relocated to Columbia where he earned a master’s degree in 1994 and a doctorate in 2000.
A past president of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, he currently serves on the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
As a member of the board of the National Rural Health Association, he testified in March before the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans'. Adams recommended ways of closing the gaps in health care for rural veterans.
The Norman J. Arnold Medal honors an alumnus who graduated in 1998 or earlier and who has demonstrated work that has had both a positive impact on the profession and on the health of an identified community or population and has brought recognition to the Arnold School of Public Health. It carries a cash award of $2,500 and a bronze medal.
The Gerry Sue Arnold Medal honors an alumnus who graduated in 1999 or later and whose work has both made a difference to the profession and in the health of an identified community or population. It carries a cash award of $2,500 and a commemorative plaque.
Gaddist and Adams were selected by a committee of the Arnold School's Alumni Council from among nominees submitted by faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the school.
The alumni awards are the latest example of the Arnold family’s philanthropy. Norman Arnold made a major gift in 2000 to endow the University of South Carolina's School of Public Health, which now bears his name.
