The 33rd Annual YWCA Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia Tribute to Women Awards Banquet honored ten remarkable women at the Bristol Train Station on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Dr. Paula Masters, recipient of multiple degrees from the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health including the Doctor of Public Health degree, is a 2024 Tribute to Women Award Recipient.
Organizations from across northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia submitted nominations for categories that reflect the many avenues and professions women utilize to effect change: Business/Industry, Finance, Healthcare, Mission Impact, and STEAM/Education. Dr. Masters’ award is in the Mission Impact category.
From the award booklet:
As Ballad Health’s first-ever Chief Health Disparities Officer, Dr. Paula Masters has responsibility for the development and implementation of many community and social health programs/services that address systemwide and regional disparities and inequities. Throughout her career, Masters has conducted extensive work in health promotion and improvement, social determinants of health, community mobilization and rural health disparities that impact vulnerable and underserved populations. She propelled development of tracking mechanisms and systems that allow Ballad to make well-thought investments in its Community Health Improvement site funding, which supports dozens of regional community-based organizations with millions of dollars of investments each year. Under Master's leadership, the funding program supports specific goals and strategies aimed at improving health outcomes for diverse populations, ranging from providing social support services and navigation for women suffering from addiction to keeping youth from dropping out of school.