Congratulations to C3EN co-director Elizabeth Lynch, PhD, Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Rush University, who will receive the Dr. John W. Hatch FLAME Award from the Caucus on Public Health and the Faith Community of the American Public Health Association!

This award honors the visionary work of Dr. John W. Hatch, W.R. Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of Health Behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for his vision, innovation, dedication, and tireless FLAME in teaching, training, community outreach and engagement, and research and development related to health promotion and disease prevention.

Lynch is being recognized for her visionary work as the founder and research director of the Alive Faith Network, a partnership between African American churches and researchers to address health inequities in African American communities. Her work has been a source of inspiration for many in the public health field who are working to develop and promote faith-health partnerships to reduce health disparities and inequities. Currently, Lynch serves as Director of the Section of Community Health in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, co-lead of the research arm of the RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity, and Multi-PI of the Chicago Chronic Conditions Engagement Network, where she leads efforts to develop community-centered interventions to address health inequity in the Chicago region. Her work has had a profound impact on both the public health community and the faith community.

Lynch will receive the award at the Caucus on Public Health and the Faith Community on Sunday, November 2, 2025, as part of the upcoming APHA Annual Meeting.