Childhood Immunization Champion Award

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Immunization Champion Award is an annual award that recognizes individuals who make a significant contribution toward improving public health through their work in childhood immunization. Each year, a CDC Immunization Champion is selected from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

2013 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion - Hawaii

Maricel Abad, R.N.
Public Health Nurse
Hawaii Department of Health
Public Health Nursing Branch
West Honolulu Public Health Nursing Section

Maricel is a strong advocate for childhood immunization and participates in activities which extend beyond her duties as a Public Health Nurse with the Hawaii Department of Health.

As a private citizen, Maricel has submitted written testimony to Hawaii's Legislature in support of immunization-related bills. Her background as a Public Health Nurse provides real-world experiences to enhance her point of view.

Maricel is a strong proponent of the Hawaii Immunization Registry (HIR). As one of the original pilot testers during the development of the Registry, she performed extensive reviews of the system, provided valuable feedback on its functionality, and made recommendations for improvements. Since that time, she has actively utilized HIR, entering data manually through the user interface. She has participated in HIR user group discussions and is a member of the Registry Administrative Rules Working Group. She is a true champion for the Immunization Registry, regularly promoting HIR to her fellow public health nurses, as well as other health care providers.

Maricel is active in the Hawaii Immunization Coalition (HIC), a non-profit 501(C)3 agency which promotes immunization education and partnering in support of immunization strategies. She regularly attends coalition meetings, and has served on planning committees, applied for and received funds for educational activities, and staffed the coalition's booth at conferences.

In her role as a Public Health Nurse, Maricel conducts vaccination clinics for children without health insurance and manages clinics for Stop Flu at School clinics (Hawaii's school-located influenza vaccination program). In these capacities, she serves as an immunization champion among her peers and within the community.

For her contributions as an advocate for childhood immunizations and proponents of the Hawaii Immunization Registry and the Hawaii Immunization Coalition - Maricel Abad, R.N. is the 2013 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion for Hawaii.