Loyalsock Township graduate honored with ‘Domer Dozen’
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From Staff Reports
Lizzie Heilmann, daughter of Dr. Timothy and Sue Heilmann, graduate of Loyalsock Township High School and 2015 graduate of the University of Notre Dame has been award the "Domer Dozen" award for her work promoting better health care and prevention in Africa.
The Domer Dozen program, according to a news release, is the signature initiative of YoungND, the Alumni Association's young alumni group. The 2023 honorees have displayed extraordinary dedication to the Alumni Association's mission and have excelled in public service, health care, immigration, church life and entertainment, among other areas. Heilmann was chosen by a selection committee consisting of the YoungND board, university officials and Alumni Association staff, which considered 182 nominees this summer and evaluated them based on a weighted ranking system and their contributions in their respective fields.
"Taking to heart the call to serve those most in need across the world, Lizzie Heilmann '15 has spent her early career promoting better access to public health services in African communities," the news release said.
Heilmann studied drug resistance in malaria parasites as an undergraduate at Notre Dame, which inspired her to become an epidemiologist to more fully understand diseases and the communities in which they spread. While pursuing a master's in public health at Emory University, she analyzed malaria data from a mass bed net campaign in Nigeria and tutored refugees in English. These formative experiences helped prepare Heilmann for a service stint with the Peace Corps as a health volunteer in Zambia.
Living and working in rural Zambia, Heilmann witnessed firsthand the health challenges of the community. She worked alongside neighborhood health committees and a local health center staff to design grassroots solutions to promote childhood nutrition, access to clean water, and malaria prevention. Inspired to continue serving the community, Heilmann extended her two-year Peace Corps commitment to work with the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative-funded Program for the Advancement of Malaria Outcomes (PAMO). She supported PAMO in the planning and implementation of a malaria surveillance pilot program among pregnant women attending antenatal care services.
Soon after starting that project, COVID-19 emerged. Though Heilmann became one of thousands of Peace Corps volunteers evacuated from her country of service, this didn't stop her from staying the course with health education and service, the news release said. During the evacuation and early waves of the pandemic, Heilmann shared emerging data with Zambian colleagues and fellow volunteers to dispel misinformation surrounding COVID-19. Though grateful to reconnect with family and friends during the pandemic, she was eager to return to Zambia, this time with the Public Health Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global Health Fellowship Program.
The honorees were invited back to the Notre Dame campus for a special recognition weekend. The Domer Dozen met with current students and university leaders, be celebrated during an awards dinner with the YoungND board and Alumni Association staff members were recognized in Notre Dame Stadium during the football game against Tennessee State University, according to the news release.