Dr. Michael Lu received a rousing ovation and vowed to "keep fighting" for children and families as he accepted an award from AMCHP for his leadership in promoting maternal and child health.
AMCHP presented Lu with its annual President's Award at a reception in his honor at the end of the Title V Partnership Meeting, which occurred a few days after he concluded his tenure as head of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
In presenting the award, AMCHP President Dr. Michael Warren, deputy commissioner for population health at the Tennessee Department of Health, commended Lu on his groundbreaking work to transform Title V programs to a performance measure-based framework, for his focus on improving evidence-based strategies, and for conceiving and launching the Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Networks (CoIINs).
Lori Freeman, AMCHP's CEO, added that even though Lu played "a senior role in federal government with many priorities, I've deeply admired that Dr. Lu never once lost sight of doing all that he could for moms, kids and families to improve their lives, health, and well-being."
"We got a lot of things done," Lu told the crowd of leaders and staff from MCHB and Title V-funded state agencies. He vowed to continue working for children and families in his new role as professor and senior associate dean for academic, student and faculty affairs for the Milken Institute School of Public Health at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
"We'll keep fighting until every child in this country has a fair shot at reaching his or her full potential," Lu said.