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