WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 1, 2026) — Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) will recognize four child health champions for their work at its 2026 Children’s Environmental Health Awards Celebration on October 8th, 6-9 pm at the Dockmaster Building at District Wharf in Washington, D.C.

The celebration will mark the twenty-first Annual Children’s Environmental Health Awards and the eleventh annual Children’s Environmental Health Day, bringing together members of the children’s environmental health community to recognize leaders, uplift youth voices, and build connections around the work to create healthier environments for children.

This year’s honorees represent a range of contributions to children’s environmental health, from community-based environmental education and pediatric care to child health advocacy and youth-led environmental action.

2026 Award Recipients:

• Community Award: Mansel Nelson, MS – Manager of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals at Northern Arizona University and Project Director for the Indoor Air Quality in Tribal Communities Environmental Education and Outreach Program. Nelson has worked for decades to connect environmental science, education, and community issues, including through work supporting tribes and schools on indoor air quality.
• Science Award: I. Leslie Rubin, MD – Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine and Adjunct Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine. Rubin is a developmental pediatrician and the founder of Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc., where he has worked to raise awareness of children’s environmental health disparities and cultivate future leaders in the field.
• Child Health Advocate Award: Joan Lombardi, PhD – Principal Advisor and Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Center on Early Childhood and Senior Scholar and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Thrive Center on Children, Families and Communities. For more than 50 years, Lombardi has worked to support the healthy development of young children and families in the United States and around the world.
• NOW Youth Leadership Award: Stella Hong – Student, environmental activist, and Founder and Executive Director of HydroHarvest. Through HydroHarvest, Hong works to address food insecurity and promote sustainable agriculture by building hydroponic gardens, engaging young people, and connecting communities with locally grown food.

The evening will offer an opportunity for the children’s environmental health community to come together through award presentations, remarks, networking, food, music, and dancing. General admission $50; Students & early career professionals $20, Children under 12 free (scholarships and volunteer opportunities available). The event is made possible through the generous support of this year’s CEH Day sponsors, including The Wilderness Society and Earthjustice.

The Child Health Advocate Awards honor outstanding children’s environmental health leaders (age 22 and up) in Policy, Science, Community, Business, and Arts/Media. These child health champions have gone above and beyond to create systemic change, protecting children from environmental hazards.

The NOW Youth Leadership Award was created as part of the Children’s Environmental Health Network’s 20th-anniversary celebration in 2012, in honor of Executive Director Nsedu Obot Witherspoon. This award honors a young person who has demonstrated exceptional environmental health leadership–protecting human health, especially of our most vulnerable populations.

The October 8th celebration is part of Children’s Environmental Health Day (CEH Day), observed each year on the second Thursday of October. Established in 2016, CEH Day brings together organizations, advocates, and communities to raise visibility around environmental factors that affect children’s health and encourage action to create healthier environments for children.

Tickets and additional event information are available at cehn.org/awards.

About Children’s Environmental Health Network

Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) is a national multidisciplinary organization dedicated to protecting children from environmental health hazards and promoting healthy environments where children can live, learn, play, and thrive. CEHN works through education, advocacy, collaboration, and leadership to advance children’s environmental health.

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Media Contact:
Hannah Wilkerson
External Relations & Creative Manager
Children’s Environmental Health Network
hannahw@cehn.org
‪(202) 573-9910