Honoring Dr. Ric Bothwell

Men’s Health Network (MHN) is honoring the life of Dr. Eric (Ric) Bothwell, a member of MHN’s Board of Advisors, who passed away in the Fall of 2016. Ric worked for the Indian Health Service as a commissioned officer for over 26 years. Since retiring, he had been a consultant on many initiatives and served as a public health advisor for MHN, helping to coordinate the Native Male Health Coalition: The Warrior’s Journey to Wellness

Ric was a tireless advocate for public health and passionately fought to bring attention to health disparities, particularly those facing Native American males. He will be greatly missed.

Men’s Health Network has established a fund in recognition of Eric (Ric) Bothwell’s life-long work on behalf of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and especially his concern for the physical and mental health of AI/AN boys and men and the need to address disparities that compromise their ability to fulfill roles as fathers, husbands, providers, leaders, and contributors to their communities.  The Eric D. Bothwell Fund will be dedicated to draw attention to this issue and promote scholarship to better understand the causes of disparities and effectively address them.  If you are interested in making contributions to the Fund, please contact Bill Maas, chairperson of the Bothwell Award Committee, at billmaas@verizon.net, for instructions.

Recent Updates

In honor of Dr. Bothwell, two awards will be given annually at the American Public Health Association meeting by the Men’s Health Network.

2019 Awardees Announced, see photos and read more here.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no photos from the 2022 awards.

The Eric D. Bothwell Award in American Indian and Alaska Native Men’s Health will recognize and encourage continued scholarship and development of an early career researcher in the field of American Indian and Alaskan Native Men’s health.

The Eric D. Bothwell Student Award in American Indian and Alaska Native Men’s Health will encourage individuals to begin a career that focuses on the field of American Indian and Alaska Native men’s health.

Presentation of Bothwell Awards will occur at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. Nominations for the 2022 awards will be due June 30, 2022.

Apply for a Bothwell Award

Please download these PDF instructions for self-nomination for both awards.