Austin Public Health’s Medical Director and Health Authority Dr. Philip Huang was honored Monday, at the People’s Community Clinic’s annual “There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch” Luncheon. The luncheon is one of the city’s largest single fundraising events benefiting community health.
The event included the presentation of the 2017 W. Neal Kocurek Health Advocacy Award. This year’s recipient, Phil Huang, MD, MPH, Medical Director and Health Authority of Austin Public Health, was honored for his tireless efforts to improve health in Central Texas which includes the successful campaign to protect our community from exposure to secondhand smoke and reduce tobacco use through tobacco-free public spaces and work sites.
Dr. Huang has served on the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) Homeland Security Task Force since 2009, co-chaired the Homeland Security Task Force Public Health and Medical Coalition from 2012-2015, and currently chairs the Public Health Preparedness and Response Committee. He has served as Health Authority for Austin and Travis County during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, H1N1, Ebola, West Nile Virus, and most recently the Zika virus outbreak. Dr. Huang also currently serves as Chair of the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, Chair of the Texas Medical Association Committee on Infectious Disease, and Chair of the Texas Comprehensive Cancer Coalition.
