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SPHHP's Homish receives American Public Health Association’s Public Health Mentoring Award

Gregory Homish, chair of the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, will receive a mentoring award from the American Public Health Association. Photo: Douglas Levere

By GRACE LAZZARA

Published September 25, 2026

Gregory G. Homish, professor and chair of the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions, has been selected by his colleagues to receive the 2026 Lyndon Haviland Public Health Mentoring Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA).

The Lyndon Haviland Award recognizes senior public health practitioners and academics who take an active, sustained role in mentoring students and early-career professionals through consistent contact, professional development support, research collaboration and joint publications.

Trained as a psychiatric epidemiologist, Homish's research spans substance use and mental health, including how these issues affect couples and families, with a specific focus on individuals in high stress occupations. He has also built expertise in emergency preparedness and the health of first responders.

He was named chair of the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior in 2019 following a national search, after serving as associate chair since 2015. Since 2019, he has served as co-training director for a long-term NIH/NIAAA-funded pre- and postdoctoral training program, a role that puts mentorship at the center of his day-to-day work. He also led an HRSA-funded training program from 2022 to 2026, which supported students in the Master of Public Health program.

Testimonials from those he has mentored capture why the committee chose him to receive the Haviland Award. One mentee said Homish’s approach mirrored the principles public health asks its leaders to embody: regular contact, professional development, research support, collaboration and a deep commitment to helping others grow.

Another credited him with inspiring them to become a mentor after Homish encouraged them to "think bigger, aim higher, and pay forward."

Colleagues praised the intentionality of his mentoring and pointed to his growing leadership roles within the school as evidence of a broader commitment to building durable mentoring systems. Others noted the tangible results: mentees who have gone on to secure competitive fellowships, publish peer-reviewed research, and land meaningful positions in the field.

Homish will receive his award at the APHA Public Health Awards Ceremony in November.

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