The Campaign for Public Health Foundation named Cecilia Rosales, MD, MS, as one of the “Unsung Heroes of Public Health” and recipient of the 2010 Wavemaker Award for her collaborative and persistent disease control and prevention efforts.

Rosales is an associate professor in the community, environment and policy division of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.

The Unsung Heroes of Public Health Awards are designed to pay tribute to individuals who have worked to produce meaningful results in disease control or prevention efforts but have never received significant recognition for their work.

Known for her passion for border and binational disease control and prevention, Rosales was nominated by Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva.

Having worked in the field of public health for 20 years, Rosales has significantly improved the health and quality of life among border populations in both the Southwestern United States and in Mexico.

Her professional experiences includes serving as a doctor, as chief of the Arizona Department of Health Services’ Office of Border Health, and as a university professor. She has worked binationally to track infectious disease; assess, control and prevent diabetes; study the challenges to farm worker health; and coordinate the treatment of patients with tuberculosis who migrate between Mexico and the United States. In addition, Rosales is co-principal investigator in researching ways to counter chronic diseases in the region.

The award was presented to Rosales at the Columbus Club in Washington, D.C. on November 18, 2010.