Sarah McColgan receives 2021 Blake Cady Award

Champion for local public health policy wins highest honor from Tobacco Free Mass

Tobacco Free Mass presented its 2021 Blake Cady Award for Excellence in Tobacco Control Award to Sarah McColgan of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association. McColgan is being recognized for her extraordinary contributions to tobacco control policy efforts in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and for her tireless efforts to end the harms of tobacco use in the Commonwealth.

“Sarah McColgan has dedication, integrity, and a willingness to find a way to make the impossible possible. These qualities helped her advance tobacco control policy under some quite challenging circumstances,” said Dennis M. Dimitri, MD, Chair of Tobacco Free Mass. “She has worked tirelessly for decades to improve public health in Massachusetts.”

Sarah McColgan works with cities and towns across Massachusetts to propose, pass, and enforce municipal regulations that govern tobacco.  Early on, she worked to help cities and towns make workplaces smokefree.  More recently, she worked locally to stop the sale of tobacco in pharmacies and to eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco products aimed at young people. With her down-to-earth demeanor and gentle toughness, Sarah has guided local health boards as they shaped tobacco policy.