Athena Award recipient announced among 26 nominees in Mahoning Valley
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber recognized one Mahoning Valley professional in public health for service and leadership.
Dr. Virginia Deeane Banks, infectious disease specialist with Northeast Ohio Infectious Disease Associates, was named the recipient of the 2023 ATHENA Award.
She received her award in front of over 600 people at the ATHENA Award dinner this week at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield.
Banks was selected out of 26 nominees, all recognized at the event.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and the Vindicator presented the award to her.
2023 Athena Award: Getting to know Dr. Virginia Deeane Banks
Banks was named clinician of the year after spending 15 years as head of the infectious disease at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Horizon Campus in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. She serves on the foundation board for NEOMED.
She also received the prestigious Watanakunakorn Clinician Award in 2019, “presented annually to a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America who spends at least 75% of his or her time in direct patient care and demonstrates their commitment to the field.”
Banks has many certifications and specialties, including a bachelor’s degree in biology from the Western College for Women and an MBA from Youngstown State University.
Honoring Mahoning Valley scholars
One high school student received an ATHENA scholarship, a $1,500, one-time award created in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
Chloe Khoury is a senior at Boardman High School and ranked top in her class.
Khoury said she’s studying through Youngstown State University’s Bacc-Med program this summer to become a pediatric neurologist.
E’Mari Joi Edmonds, a Warren G. Harding High School senior, and Paige Grope, a Jackson Milton High School senior, also received scholarships.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield provided additional scholarships of $1,250 each for both Edmonds, who will study nursing at Kent State University Trumbull, and Grope, who will pursue early childhood education at YSU.
To learn more about the ATHENA Awards and nominees, visit the website.
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