Watkins-Saunders Award

Established in 2012 to honor and celebrate the lives and work of Dr. Levi Watkins and Dr. Elijah Saunders, the Watkins-Saunders Award is given annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to equitable health and addressing gaps in health outcomes through clinical or medical work and community improvements.

Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2026 Watkins-Saunders award recipient!

2025 Watkins-Saunders Award Recipient

Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, RN, PhD, MHS, BSN, FPCNA, FAAN, FAHA
Professor
Associate Dean, Research
Director for Local/Global Reciprocal Innovation
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity

2025 Virtual Program Honoring Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah

Previous Watkins-Saunders Award Winners

2012: Dr. Levi Watkins and Dr. Elijah Saunders 
2013: Dr. Lisa Cooper 
2014: Dr. Claudia Baquet 
2015: Jeanne Charleston 
2018: Dr. Martha Hill 
2019: Dr. Thomas LaVeist 
2020: Dr. Athol Morgan 
2021: Dr. Myron Weisfeldt 
2022: Dr. Donald E. Wilson 
2023: Dr. Barbara Hutchinson
2024: Neil M. Meltzer, MPH, MHA
2025: Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah