Dr. Joycelyn Elders to Receive the Alma Dea Morani Award
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. (2024, March 14). Image by Bryan Clifton Phenomenal Women ceremony at UAMS [Photograph]. UAMS News.
The Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation honors pioneer in public health
The Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation is proud to announce that Dr. Joycelyn Elders, pioneering physician and advocate for public health and equity, will be the 2025 recipient of the Alma Dea Morani, MD Renaissance Woman Award, the Foundation’s highest honor.
Dr. Elders is renowned for breaking barriers and sparking essential conversations throughout her remarkable career. Appointed in 1993 as the 15th Surgeon General of the United States, the first African American and only the second woman to hold that office, Dr. Elders brought unprecedented visibility to issues ranging from adolescent health and reproductive rights to substance use prevention and health education. TIME Magazine named her “1994 Woman of the Year” and “One of the 100 Most Influential Women of the 20th Century.”
Born in rural, segregated Arkansas in 1933, Dr. Elders rose from a childhood marked by poverty and discrimination to become the state’s first board-certified pediatric endocrinologist. She attended the University of Arkansas Medical School as one of three Black students. Over the course of decades of clinical practice and research, she has published over a hundred papers, many of which focus on juvenile diabetes and sexual health. As Arkansas' Director of Public Health, she championed childhood immunizations, prenatal care, sex education, and access to family planning services, nearly doubling immunization rates and expanding care to underserved populations.
As U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Elders famously refused to shy away from controversy if it meant addressing uncomfortable but vital truths. Her tenure was defined by fearless advocacy for comprehensive sex education, access to contraception, and HIV prevention, efforts that provoked fierce debate but ultimately shifted the national conversation. After leaving office, she continued to educate, mentor, and speak out for health equity as a Professor Emerita at the University of Arkansas.
Her extraordinary story is also the subject of a recent, award-winning documentary film, “The Healer: The Dr. Joceyln Elders Story,” which highlights her journey from a cotton field in Arkansas to one of America’s most influential public health leaders, ensuring that her example continues to inspire future generations.
The Foundation will present the Alma Dea Morani, MD Renaissance Woman Award to Dr. Elders this fall at a free virtual event on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 4:00 pm ET.
We cordially invite you to join us as we celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of Dr. Joycelyn Elders—physician, researcher, teacher, and champion for the dignity and health of all people.
About the Alma Dea Morani, MD Renaissance Woman Award
The Alma Dea Morani Award is our most prestigious form of recognition, given to a woman who has left a significant mark on history and pivotally advanced the future. Our community of awardees is second to none, with achievements that often break entirely new ground. We are proud to name the discovery of the breast cancer gene, the appointment of the first woman president of the American Psychiatric Association, and the founding of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia among the many milestones our awardees have attained.