Hudson College Student Vivian Sanchez Receives Prestigious OPHA Joan K. Leavitt Award of Excellence

The OU Hudson College of Public Health is proud to announce that MPH student Vivian Sanchez has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Joan K. Leavitt, MD Award of Excellence, presented at the Oklahoma Public Health Association (OPHA) annual conference this September. This prestigious honor recognizes a Hudson College student who demonstrates exceptional academic achievement, outstanding leadership, and significant promise for a future career in public health.

Sanchez, a first-generation college graduate from Waco, Texas, has distinguished herself as an emerging public health leader through both academic excellence and meaningful contributions to research and practice. After earning her BS in Public Health from Baylor University, she moved to Oklahoma and immediately began gaining hands-on experience as a BRFSS interviewer at the Oklahoma State Department of Health—a role that introduced her to key statewide surveillance systems and laid the foundation for her graduate training.

During her first semester as an MPH student, Sanchez was selected for a Graduate Research Assistantship, an opportunity rarely offered to first-semester students. Working on Project CHAT, an OSDH-funded tobacco surveillance initiative, she quickly became an indispensable member of the research team. Sanchez has contributed to every phase of the project—from refining research protocols and developing data collection tools to conducting fieldwork, managing datasets, and performing analyses. Her strong technical skills, mastery of systems such as REDCap and Excel, and exceptional project management abilities have earned high praise from faculty mentors.

Sanchez’s commitment to advancing public health extends well beyond the classroom and research lab. She has developed innovative research questions using data from Project CHAT, including an analysis of nicotine pouch advertising disparities across Oklahoma communities using the Area Deprivation Index. This work was accepted for presentation in a highly competitive Lightning Session at the 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting. She will also present related research on cigarette price variation at this year’s OPHA conference.

Her faculty mentors describe her as organized, analytically sharp, receptive to feedback, and deeply committed to improving community health—qualities that will serve her well as she prepares for a career as an epidemiologist. Sanchez is already exploring practicum opportunities with a focus on maternal and child health, reflecting her desire to address complex health challenges through rigorous, equity-centered research.

The Hudson College of Public Health congratulates Vivian Sanchez on this well-earned recognition and celebrates her continued dedication to advancing public health in Oklahoma and beyond.