Each year, PRH honors extraordinary abortion providers and physician advocates who have made an impact in their communities and on healthcare regionally or nationally through the compassionate care they provide and their leadership in advocating for sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice.
Honorees are recognized for their commitment to the needs of their communities, especially those who are most impacted by barriers to care, and for advancing equity, inclusion, and justice in health care. These Awards are bestowed in memory of our late Board Members, Dr. William K. Rashbaum and Dr. George Tiller. All awards will be presented at our Annual Voice of Courage Benefit in May 2026. Learn more about the Rashbaum Leadership Award and Tiller Advocacy Award below.
Nominations for the 2026 awards will open on October 20, 2025.
Rashbaum Leadership Award
Honoring Lifelong Leaders
The Rashbaum Leadership Award honors a physician, abortion provider, and proven leader for a lifetime of significant contributions to the medical field in supporting the advancement of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. Awardees are recognized for their long-term leadership in implementing policies that have a positive impact on their community’s ability to access comprehensive reproductive health care.
Dr. Rashbaum began his medical career before abortion was legal. Once abortion was legalized in New York State in 1970, he began what would become the hallmark of his long career: training hundreds of medical students, residents, and practicing physicians around the country—likely more than any other physician.
As a cofounder of PRH, Dr. Rashbaum personified the compassionate provider by understanding and respecting patient dignity, and became an advocate so he could better care for his patients.
Eligibility Criteria:
Nominee is a physician in middle or later part of their career, at least 10 years from completing training
Nominee is currently based in the United States
Nominee has not been honored with a PRH award in the past
Nomination and Selection Criteria:
Nominee is a vocal, visible, and experienced leader on sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice and other intersectional issues
Nominee has actively engaged with professional medical or public health organizations, academic institutions, or local nonprofit organizations over time
Nominee has had proven success over many years organizing, building consensus, leading projects, and achieving lasting and positive outcomes for patients, learners, or institutions
Nominee has demonstrated long term commitment to bringing new voices and perspectives into the field by partnering with learners, researchers, or community partners
Please complete the following steps to submit a nomination:
Submit the 2026 Rashbaum Leadership Award Nomination Form during the nomination period, open from Monday, October 20, to Monday, November 24.
Submit the nominee’s CV by uploading it to the Nomination Form or by sending to [email protected] *
*If you do not have access to the nominee’s CV, please let us know at the email above and staff will request it from the nominee.
After your nomination form is submitted, PRH staff will contact the nominee to confirm their acceptance of the nomination. The Rashbaum and Tiller Awards Selection Committee will select an Award recipient, and all nominees and nominators will be notified in January 2026.
The Tiller Advocacy Award honors a physician who, although in the early stages of their career as a provider, has taken significant action to protect and expand abortion access in the face of political or legal threats. Awardees are recognized for their positive impact on reproductive health care through visible and robust advocacy across media, policy, and education.
Dr. Tiller was — and still is — an inspiration to the reproductive health community. He was not only a provider whose priority was those who could not get care elsewhere; he was also a tireless advocate. He worked indefatigably to defend abortion access through public policy engagement and reform in his home state of Kansas. He founded Pro-Kan‐Do, a political action committee, to ensure that elected officials protected access to quality reproductive health care. For years, he hired policy staff in the state capital to defend and advance strong reproductive health policies.
His clinic was a constant focus of harassment and violence. And yet, he remained steadfast. With the Tiller Advocacy Award, we seek to honor a physician early in their career who mirrors these extraordinary qualities in their work and advocacy.
Eligibility Criteria:
Nominee is a physician
Nominee is currently based in the United States
Nominee is no more than 10 years past completing medical education or abortion care training
Nomination and Selection Criteria:
Nominee currently provides abortions in area/s impacted by restrictions or previously provided abortions in a state that now bans abortion access
Nominee is a vocal and visible advocate for sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice
Nominee is engaged in advocacy efforts on a range of intersectional issues
Nominee demonstrates a strong commitment to anti-racism work, equitable justice, and centering the needs of communities most impacted by systemic barriers to care
Please complete the following steps to submit a nomination:
Submit the 2026 Tiller Advocacy Award Nomination Form during the nomination period, open from Monday, October 20, to Monday, November 24.
Submit the nominee’s CV by uploading it to the Nomination Form or by sending to [email protected]. *
*If you do not have access to the nominee’s CV, please let us know at the email above and staff will request it from the nominee.
After your nomination is submitted, PRH staff will contact the nominee to confirm their acceptance of the nomination. The Rashbaum and Tiller Awards Selection Committee will select an Award recipient, and all nominees and nominators will be notified in January 2026.
How are Award recipients selected? A committee of abortion providers and physician advocates from across the country, including several past honorees, selects the respective recipients of the Tiller Advocacy and Rashbaum Leadership Awards.
Committee Members review each nomination and use a scoring rubric based on the selection criteria described above. The score for each nominee is averaged and the nominee with the highest total score receives each respective Award. In case of a tie, the committee chair makes a recommendation in collaboration with the PRH President & CEO.
