Special Olympics Nebraska announced that University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor of practice Kelly Pritchett has been selected as the 2016 Golisano Health Leadership Award honoree. She was presented the award during the Special Olympics Nebraska Fall Games banquet Saturday, Aug. 6.
Pritchett is the first-ever recipient of the Golisano Health Leadership Award, which is the highest honor for health partners and individuals awarded by Special Olympics. It was created to recognize local health champions and their extraordinary efforts toward fulfilling the goals, values and mission of Special Olympics’ global health program, made possible by the Golisano Foundation. The award is presented to an individual or organization that is dedicated to improving the health of people with intellectual disabilities and advancing the year-round health work of Special Olympics.
"I was completely surprised and humbled to be chosen as the recipient of the Golisano Health Leadership Award," Pritchett said. "It's always an honor to be recognized for your work, but to be recognized by an international organizations like Special Olympics means so much more. I have always enjoyed working with our Special Olympics athletes and being able to use my talents and expertise to help them achieve success both during and outside of their competitions."
Pritchett, who has served as the Special Olympics Nebraska Healthy Hearing Clinical Director since 2009, is one of up to 32 individuals or organizations across the Special Olympics movement that will receive the Golisano Health Leadership Award in 2016. Up to seven of those honorees will be selected for the global award, which will be shared at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in March in Austria.
Over the course of the last seven years, Pritchett has led the Nebraska Healthy Hearing Clinic team that has provided free hearing exams for more than 1,200 Special Olympics Nebraska athletes. Her work has helped ensure that athletes received amplification and proper follow-up. In addition, she engages UNL audiology students in working at the Healthy Hearing Clinic, volunteers at Special Olympics USA Games and Special Olympics World Summer Games, and trains new clinical directors in Healthy Hearing from other states.
Pritchett, who serves as the audiology clinic coordinator at the Barkley Speech Language and Hearing Clinic, is entering her 10th year as a faculty member in UNL’s Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders.
To learn more about the Golisano Foundation, visit http://www.golisanofoundation.org. For more information about Special Olympics Nebraska and the Fall Games, visit http://www.sone.org.