Katherine Wells, director of the Lubbock Public Health District, was honored this month for her leadership during the historic West Texas measles outbreak and her continuing work to protect communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The Immunization Partnership presented Wells with the Ralph D. Feigin, MD Award for Excellence during its 16th Annual Luncheon at Hotel ZaZa Houston Museum District, according to a news release from the organization.
During the 2025 outbreak, Wells led Lubbock Public Health’s response, including establishing a drive-up MMR vaccination clinic that served an average of 20 to 30 people a day. The department also partnered with TIP to distribute social media graphics providing information about measles and encouraging
MMR vaccination.
Wells is a co-author of the CDC’s official report on the initial public health response. The report documents vaccination and testing clinics, multilingual educational materials and collaboration with trusted community members.
“Thank you all so much for this recognition,” Wells told about 300 luncheon participants in Houston. “I deeply appreciate our partnership with The Immunization Partnership and with so many people in this room who supported us as we navigated the measles crisis. Unfortunately, that outbreak was only the beginning of what we are now seeing across the United States. Other communities are experiencing significant outbreaks, and in just the past two weeks, Pennsylvania has lost four people to a vaccine-preventable disease.”
“Katherine Wells exemplifies the leadership and commitment to public health that inspire our work every day,” said Rekha Lakshmanan, executive director of The Immunization Partnership. “During an extraordinarily difficult outbreak, she helped ensure that West Texas communities received timely information, vaccination services and essential public health support.”
The annual award recognizes organizations or individuals who champion education and advocacy concerning vaccine-preventable diseases. It is named in honor of the late Ralph D. Feigin, MD, former physician-in-chief of Texas Children’s Hospital, president of Baylor College of Medicine and an infectious disease expert who was a devoted advocate for lifesaving vaccines.
About The Immunization Partnership
The Immunization Partnership is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Texas children and families from vaccine-preventable diseases through education, advocacy and public awareness. Learn more at ImmunizeUSA.org.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock Public Health Director gets statewide award for vaccine advocacy
