Community Health Leader Recognized for Pandemic-Era Response Efforts
Arapahoe County Immunization Program Director Receives National Award for Training 5,000+ Contact Tracers and Coordinating Million-Dose Vaccination Campaign
DENVER, Dec. 15, 2025 — The American Public Health Association today awarded its 2025 Excellence in Community Health Leadership Award to Rebecca “Becca” Miles, BSN, RN, for her pivotal role in pandemic response efforts that trained more than 5,000 contact investigators and coordinated mass vaccination initiatives across Colorado’s most vulnerable communities.
Miles, who serves as Nurse Educator for Arapahoe County Public Health, led one of the nation’s largest regional COVID-19 response operations during the 2020-2023 public health emergency. Her work directly contributed to the administration of over 1.2 million vaccine doses in underserved areas and established protocols that reduced vaccine wastage to less than 2%, significantly below the national average of 5.7% reported by CDC. The recognition comes at a critical time for the public health workforce, which faced unprecedented strain during the pandemic. According to a landmark 2023 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study published in *Health Affairs*, nearly half of all state and local public health employees left their jobs between 2017 and 2021, with younger staff experiencing 75% turnover rates . Miles’ ability to build resilient teams amid this exodus exemplifies the leadership needed to stabilize America’s public health infrastructure.
“Becca transformed crisis into opportunity,” said Dr. Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at Harvard and co-author of the workforce study. “While health departments nationwide struggled with staffing shortages and burnout, she created a training model that not only scaled rapidly but retained 89% of her cohort through the pandemic’s peak.”
Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment show that Miles’ mass vaccination framework increased uptake among Hispanic populations by 43% and among Black residents by 38% through culturally responsive outreach and partnership with 127 community-based organizations. Her team’s mobile clinic model, which brought vaccination directly to agricultural workers and homeless shelters, achieved a 94% series completion rate—surpassing state averages by 21 percentage points.
The award also acknowledges Miles’ innovative use of workforce development strategies to combat the retention crisis. She implemented peer-mentorship pods and mental health support protocols that reduced staff burnout rates from 44% to 19% within her division, as measured by the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. These interventions are now being replicated in 14 states through a CDC-funded technical assistance program.
“Rebecca Miles represents the future of public health leadership,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, APHA Executive Director. “Her data-driven approach combined with authentic community engagement demonstrates how we rebuild trust in public health systems. The $2.3 billion Public Health Infrastructure Grant from CDC makes recognizing and replicating leaders like Becca more urgent than ever.”
Beyond immediate pandemic response, Miles established sustainable infrastructure including a permanent regional immunization training center that has already credentialed 800 new public health nurses. Her initiative to integrate community health workers into vaccination teams created 150 new career-ladder positions, directly addressing the workforce pipeline collapse identified in recent research. According to the University of Minnesota’s 2025 workforce analysis, such roles are essential as the U.S. faces a projected shortage of 86,000 physicians and deficits across behavioral health specialties by 2036.
Miles is currently pursuing her DNP/MPH dual degree at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus while continuing to serve as Nurse Educator. Her dissertation research examines long-term immunity patterns in post-pandemic populations, contributing to evidence-based booster recommendations. The APHA award includes a $50,000 grant to expand her Built Environment Coalition, which promotes walkable communities as a preventive health strategy.
About the American Public Health Association
Founded in 1872, APHA is the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world, representing more than 50,000 members from over 40 countries. The Association champions the health of all people and communities by strengthening the public health profession, promoting best practices, and advancing health equity through science-based advocacy, policy development, and workforce development initiatives.
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