2026 Public Health Service Awards of Distinction
Published on: May 19, 2026
Watertown, NY – The Jefferson County Public Health Service (JCPHS) has established public health excellence awards to honor employees and community partners for outstanding service in the advancement and improvement of public health. The awards are given annually, and the ceremony for this year’s recipients took place Thursday, May 14 at the Jefferson County Public Health Service facility, 531 Meade St.
In addition to the honorees receiving such well-deserved recognition, the awards are named for the past two directors of public health, Jean A. Bilow and Ginger B. Hall, as well as Retired U.S. Army Reserve Major General Robert J. Kasulke, MD, Jefferson County’s long-serving medical director, who passed away in late 2023.
Employees nominated colleagues and partners over the winter, and the department’s administrative team selected the following 2026 award winners:
Lisa N. Lagos, JCPHS Public Health Educator
Recipient of the 2026 Jean A. Bilow Award for Public Health Excellence
Laurie L. Woodward, Public Health Nurse, JCPHS Preventive Services Unit
Recipient of the 2026 Ginger B. Hall Award for Public Health Clinical Excellence
Amanda L. Rosen, Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse Practitioner, Samaritan Family Health Network
Recipient of the 2026 Robert J. Kasulke, MD, Award for Public Health Community Partnership
The award for public health professional excellence is named for Jean A. Bilow, the first and longest-served Jefferson County Director of Public Health. Much of the department’s current structure and programming was either put in place or greatly expanded under Jean’s leadership. While programs have certainly evolved since her retirement, Jean had a vision that expanded public health’s impact into the broader health care system and improved population health. The Medical Examiner, Emergency Medical Services, and health promotion programs all happened under Jean’s leadership. Jean also led the department’s responses to a significant meningococcal outbreak, novel H1N1 influenza, pertussis, and other communicable disease responses. Jean’s tenure saw the development of public health preparedness and response, which was put in place following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The award for public health clinical excellence is named for Ginger B. Hall, the second Jefferson County Director of Public Health. Before Ginger became the department head, and during her time as Director, her tenure greatly advanced clinical care, quality assurance, and quality improvement standards in the home and clinic settings. Ginger also ably led the department’s response through the COVID-19 pandemic, and she worked tirelessly to procure funding to establish the first community paramedicine program pilot in New York State, which is measurably and significantly reducing costly emergency department visits and hospital inpatient admissions in Jefferson County.
The award for public health community partnership is named for Robert J. Kasulke, MD, who served as Medical Director and Assistant Medical Examiner for Jefferson County over approximately three decades. Dr. Kasulke sadly passed away in November 2023. A hallmark of Dr. Kasulke’s career was service to the community and to the country. In addition to his work for the department: he was medical director for Hospice of Jefferson County for many years; he served as a physician for the Gouverneur Correctional Facility; he was a Major General in the U.S. Army Reserves; and he was actively committed to honoring veterans through honors programs for veterans that became patients of Hospice and Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., which support aging veterans in visiting national war memorials. Dr. Kasulke served his community tirelessly, through active membership on many community agency boards of directors, and he measurably advanced public health in Jefferson County.
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