t he community as patient

Joyce Essien is one of three physicians in the nation to receive the 2008 Pride in the Profession award, presented by the american medical association foundation the foundation honored essien for her longtime efforts to help underserved patients with asthma and diabetes essien tackles health issues on a number of fronts as director of the center for Public Health Practice at the rsph and an officer with the u .s Public Health service she also leads a team in collaboration with the vermont-based sustainability institute to support policy formation and interventions for diabetes through the center for Public Health Practice, essien works with government public health offices to help them become flagships for reform within the national health care debate the center helps improve the design of health offices and encourages joint research involving universities and public health organizations essien also co-founded zap asthma, a consortium that trains community health workers who help the families of inner-city children with asthma manage the disease most recently, essien established a nonprofit foundation for the carver early college school, the first small-school concept implemented by the atlanta Public schools