By Emily Leclerc | Waisman Science Writer
Tim Markle, MA/CS, outreach manager of the Waisman Center’s Children’s Resource Center – South (CRC) and director of the Youth Health Transition Initiative (YHTI), recently received the 2025 Merle McPherson Family Leadership Award for exemplary contributions to further family/professional collaboration within state Title V programs and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP). This award honors those who have displayed a longtime dedication to advocating for families and children with special health care needs. The AMCHP board wanted to, “recognize [his] service to the field of maternal and child health and [his] tireless advocacy on behalf of families.”
The AMCHP was founded in 1950 and has worked since then as a resource, partner, and advocate for state public health leaders and others working to improve maternal and child health systems. The Merle McPherson Family Leadership Award honors Merle McPherson, MD, who was a member of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, for her legacy of leadership and vision on how to create and expand family-centered health care models for children with special health care needs.
“I really want to thank my family, they are the reason I began this whole journey – my wife Tracy and my unique and awesome children Hunter and Sammy – and my colleagues at the Waisman Center,” Markle said during his acceptance speech. “I am thankful for all the family leaders who have blazed trails, broken barriers, challenged systems, and made a stink so that all children can receive the resources and support they need to live their best lives. Let’s keep working together – families, professionals, self-advocates, and supporters – so that everyone knows their worth and can live their best lives.””
Markle received the award at the AMCHP annual conference on March 17 that took place in Washington, DC.
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