It is with excitement and gratitude that Immunize Colorado announces the recipients of the 2024 S.O.U.P! (Shots Offer Unrivaled Protection) awards! We are thrilled to recognize those in our state who go above and beyond to keep Colorado communities healthy through immunization.
Immunize Colorado’s highest honor, the 2024 Big Shot of the Year award will be presented to Senator Kyle Mullica, Senator Julie Gonzales, Senator Dylan Roberts, and Senator Kevin Priola. The 2024 SOUPer Hero award will be presented to Stephanie Wasserman. The 2024 Sure Shot awards will be presented to the Immunization and Travel Clinic at Denver Health and Joel Tanaka, MD. We will celebrate these immunization champions and present their awards at the 13th S.O.U.P! event on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at the Space Gallery in downtown Denver.
The S.O.U.P! box office is now open. Purchase your S.O.U.P! tickets today and join us to celebrate our 2024 awardees!
Please read on to learn about each of the awardees’ contributions and achievements, and join us in thanking them for all they’ve done to protect Colorado communities!
2024 Big Shots of the Year
The 2024 Big Shots of the Year, Senators Kyle Mullica, Julie Gonzales, Dylan Roberts, and Kevin Priola were the prime sponsors for Colorado Senate Bill 20-163: School Entry Immunization. The bill, which became law in 2020, aimed to keep Colorado communities protected from vaccine-preventable diseases through the strengthening and standardization of school entry immunization requirements, including tightening the state’s nonmedical vaccine exemption requirements. The bill progressed through a tumultuous legislative process, with a very small but vocal group of people who opposed the bill. Thankfully, the bill ultimately passed with bi-partisan support from both chambers of the Legislature, and with support from nearly 90% of Coloradans. The Senators receiving the 2024 Big Shot of the Year award are being recognized for their resilience throughout the 2020 legislative session and beyond, and for their commitment to advancing strong, evidence-based immunization and public health policy to ultimately keep all Coloradans protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Senator Kyle Mullica
Senator Kyle Mullica is a State Senator for the 24th District in Colorado, covering the City of Thornton and Federal Heights. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served in the House for four years. Born and raised in Thornton, Colorado, Senator Mullica embodies what it is to work for and with members of his constituency. As an ER Nurse he’s the only active healthcare worker serving in the Colorado Legislature – making him a go-to advocate for legislation revolving around the healthcare industry. He believes healthcare is a right, not a privilege and is committed to taking care of those who take care of us – healthcare workers! When he’s not in the ER working or down at the Capitol you can find him either spending time with his family or rooting on his Denver Broncos.
Senator Julie Gonzales
Senadora Julie Gonzales is a progressive Democrat serving north, west, and downtown Denver as the state Senator for Senate District 34. With roots that stretch back generations in Colorado, Julie has dedicated her life to organizing working people, Latinos, and youth around affordable housing, educational justice, and immigrant rights. First elected in the blue wave of 2018, she allocated millions of dollars towards affordable housing, strengthened protections for immigrant communities from ICE, repealed the death penalty, and streamlined Colorado’s marijuana regulations. She serves as Chair of the Judiciary committee; Vice Chair of the Local Government & Housing, and as a member of the Legal Services and Appropriations committees. She serves as the Colorado Senate Democrats Majority Whip and the Co-Chair of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus.
Senator Dylan Roberts
Dylan Roberts represents Senate District 8 in the Colorado State Senate which encompasses Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Summit Counties. Senator Roberts serves as the Chair of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee and as a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Senator Roberts was elected to the Senate in 2022. From 2018-2022, Dylan served in the State House representing Eagle & Routt Counties. His work at the legislature has focused on lowering the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, protecting our environment and water, funding more affordable housing development, and promoting rural economic development. In 2019, he wrote and passed the law that made Colorado the first state in the nation to cap the cost of insulin and in 2022, he helped pass the largest single-year investment into affordable housing in Colorado history. Prior to and during his service in the legislature, Dylan has worked as a Deputy District Attorney for Eagle County. Dylan grew up in Routt County and now lives in Summit County with his wife Sarah and their son Teddy.
Senator Kevin Priola
Kevin Priola serves in the Colorado Senate representing District 13. Prior to his tenure in the State Senate, he served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2009 until his election to the Senate in 2016. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Technology Committee, Vice Chair of the Transportation and Energy Committee, and as a member of the Appropriations and Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees.
In 2022, Senator Priola switched parties from Republican to Democrat. He has historically worked across the aisle to sponsor and support bipartisan legislation; he was often the only Republican to vote in favor of some legislation, including a bill to prevent landlords from using or disclosing the immigrant status of their tenants, and another bill to prohibit employers from retaliating against their workers for reporting health and safety concerns. His policy priorities center small businesses, election security, education, and environmental health.
Senator Priola was born in Brighton, Colorado, and attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he graduated with a BS in finance and accounting. He currently lives in Henderson with his wife Michelle and their four children.
2024 SOUPer Hero – Stephanie Wasserman
Stephanie Wasserman served as the executive director of Immunize Colorado from 2012-2022. Under her leadership, the organization secured highly competitive grants, launched the Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce (which ensured that highly impacted communities had the information and tools they needed to get vaccinated during the pandemic), spearheaded the passage of regulations and laws to ensure Colorado children and families have the access and information they need to vaccinate, and created actionable data tools to highlight low coverage and high needs communities.
Stephanie has more than 30 years of experience managing public and community health initiatives, including leading all aspects of a $2.5 million statewide initiative to promote school health and wellness. She also managed school-based health centers and community clinics throughout Colorado providing behavioral health, oral health, and primary care services, including immunizations, to medically underserved children. At the National Conference of State Legislatures, Stephanie served as a program director and provided expertise on priority public health issues to state lawmakers across the country. She served as the board chair of the Colorado Association for School-Based Health Care and a member-at-large at Colorado Public Health Association. She is also a founding board member of Academy 360, a public charter school with a core focus on student wellness and health promotion. In 2015 Stephanie won the Colorado Public Health Association’s Public Health Champion award and in 2024 she was selected to serve as a Fulbright Scholar.
2024 Denver Metro Sure Shot – The Immunization and Travel Clinic at Denver Health
The Immunization and Travel Clinic at Denver Health is a full-service, nurse-run vaccination clinic led by a medical director, nurse program manager, and clinic administrator. The team consists of nine registered nurses (RN), three medical assistants (MA), five patient access specialists (PAS), and one program assistant. Vaccinations are offered at our full-time clinic on the Denver Health campus, as well as at outreach clinics hosted at community based organizations throughout the city and county of Denver. At our clinic we also offer consultations for international travel to provide patients with prescriptions and travel specific vaccinations.
Throughout 2023, the team served 1,948 patients in community outreach settings and provided 3,502 vaccines. Of those patients served, 1,658 (85.1%) identified as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Also in 2023, the team served 286 Denver Public Schools students at school vaccination events and provided 941 total vaccines. Of those served, 268 (93.7%) identified as BIPOC. All Clinic staff have training in vaccine hesitancy, and health equity is foundational to our work in order to increase vaccine uptake. More than a third of our staff are bilingual English/Spanish speakers. We serve patients regardless of insurance or immigration status or the ability to pay.
The outreach team collaborates with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Public Schools, Denver Human Services, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Vuela for Health, ViVe Wellness, Julissa Soto, and many other community-based organizations. These strong partnerships have resulted in highly successful vaccine events throughout the community.
2024 Regional Sure Shot – Dr. Joel Tanaka
Dr. Tanaka is a Board-Certified Family Physician. He completed his undergraduate studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He has lived in Colorado Springs since 2002 and is the Chief Medical Officer at Peak Vista Community Health Centers, providing primary care, dental, behavioral health, and psychiatric care to people in 24 locations located in Colorado Springs, Divide, Limon, Strasburg, Fountain, and Flagler. Dr. Tanaka is passionate about his family, clinical leadership, health advocacy, health equity, and serving Coloradans to help them overcome barriers to achieving optimal wellness. He is married to Jackie Tanaka, his lovely bride of 31 years, and they have 3 sons.