The Coalition for Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology and 15 national health organizations selected Dara Mendez as the recipient of the 2020 Award for Effective Practice at the Community Level.

Mendez is an assistant professor of epidemiology in Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health, specializing in understanding and addressing racial and socioeconomic inequity in pregnancy, birth and women's health.

The award recognizes her significant work toward improving public health practice through effective use of data, epidemiology and applied research. It will be formally presented in September during the virtual CityMatCH Leadership and MCH Epidemiology Conference.