Celebrating Faculty Community Engagement

The Thomas L. Simmer, M.D. Faculty Endowment Award recognizes the commitment and accomplishments of a School of Health Sciences (SHS) faculty member who has established a record of effective interprofessional partnerships and collaborations to achieve significant community impact.

The most recent Simmer Award recipient is Dr. Laurel Stevenson, associate professor of interdisciplinary health sciences.

Dr. Thomas L. Simmer retired in 2021 from an executive role with Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Michigan. Throughout his career, Dr. Simmer was genuinely committed to maintaining a fair and equitable environment in support of patients and physicians alike. Recognizing this, the School of Health Sciences, with the support of SHS advisory board member Dr. Ewa Matuszewski and the generous contributions of donors, created the “Thomas Simmer Endowed Research Fund in Health Sciences.” This award recognizes faculty excellence in community engaged research and provides financial support for their research endeavors.

Stevenson applies a wide variety of research methods and community-based participatory approaches to improve health outcomes for individuals. Specifically, she focuses on exploring health behaviors in low-resource settings, improving physical activity and eating behaviors, and increasing individuals’ and communities’ capacity to improve overall health.

“Dr. Stevenson demonstrates tremendous community engagement leadership, serving OU’s campus, Oakland County and beyond” said Dr. Kevin Ball, dean of the School of the Health Sciences. “We are pleased to recognize her with this award, further supporting her current work and future endeavors as she continues to make a wonderful impact.”

Additionally, Stevenson has worked as a program specialist and evaluator for a number of programs locally and internationally surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention, sexual health, domestic violence, human rights, youth empowerment, physical activity, eating and building community capacity. Current and former community partners include the Cornerstone Foundation of Belize, Detroit SOUP, Healthy Pontiac We Can! coalition, Henry Ford Health System, Honor Community Health, the Lawn Academy and Oakland County Health Division. Stevenson also co-founded Prescription for a Healthy Oakland, an extensively grant-funded and collaborative program that provides produce prescription nutrition incentives to individuals who meet certain health and income requirements, expanding their access to healthy food choices.

“I would like to thank the School of Health Sciences and SHS board member Dr. Ewa Matuszewski for this recognition,” said Dr. Stevenson. “I am deeply humbled, and it brings me great joy that this award exists to celebrate community engagement as the heart of public health. Building meaningful relationships within our communities is where sustainable change happens, and this award highlights just how vital it is to dedicate time and collective effort to nurturing these community relationships.”

The award is presented annually at Oakland University’s Healthology Symposium.