In recognition of his career spent advancing health care policy for older adults and communities of color, the American Public Health Association has renamed a lifetime achievement award for the late Steven Wallace, a longtime UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

The “Steven P. Wallace Lifetime Achievement Award” was put into motion by the association’s aging and public health section. Wallace had joined the section more than 30 years ago where he became a dedicated leader who held multiple continuous roles over the years. 

“We are so grateful to the APHA Aging and Public Health Section for renaming the lifetime achievement award in Steve Wallace’s honor,” said Ninez Ponce, professor of health policy and management and director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “Steve Wallace was a trailblazer, who fought tirelessly for older adults and communities of color … Steve was a remarkable person, who made a difference in the lives of so many people, and his legacy will live on through all of us.” 

Wallace, who died in March, worked closely with Ponce at the center, where Wallace served as associate director for 25 years. His work there included pioneering new approaches to the economic security of older adults through the California elder economic security standard index as well as serving as director of the resource centers for minority aging research at the National Coordinating Center.

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