Hector Mendoza and Helen Butler Receive GSDM Staff Awards
Hector Mendoza, school-based program manager, and Helen Butler, manager of clinical affairs, were awarded the 2025 Henry M. Goldman Award for Distinguished Service* and the 2026 Kristen Donovan Award for Excellence in Service, respectively, during the school’s June faculty/staff meeting.
Both awards are presented annually to a member of the staff who demonstrated outstanding commitment to GSDM and have improved the school’s community. The Henry M. Goldman Award for Distinguished Service is given to a staff member who has been employed by GSDM for five or more years, while the Kristen Donovan Award for Excellence in Service is given to a staff member who has been with GSDM for less than five years.
Mendoza joined GSDM’s Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research in the early 2010s. In his current role, he works with all other school-based team members to organize oral healthcare treatment for children in school-based settings.
Nominators described Mendoza as a “natural leader” and “the heart of the office” who exhibits kindness, professionalism, and compassion in everything he does. One nominator wrote that he has made a “lasting impact on our team and our community.”
Mendoza said he was genuinely surprised and honored to learn he had been selected to receive last year’s award.
“This award reinforces the importance of the work that my team and I do every day throughout the greater Boston community,” Mendoza said. “We often focus on the reports showing the thousands of patients we serve and the many services we provide, which are important measures of our impact. However, this recognition is also a reminder that some of the most meaningful outcomes are the individual lives we touch and the long-term difference we make for members of our community.”
Butler joined the GSDM community in June 2023 as an administrative assistant in Clinical Affairs. She currently coordinates the day-to-day Clinical Affairs operational systems, updates and maintains clinical policies, and serves as a project manager for the school’s initiative to replace the Salud EHR.
Nominators praised Butler as an exceptional team player who brings professionalism, initiative, and heart to everything she does. One nominator noted that Butler has “become the go-to person for questions, troubleshooting, and big-picture guidance, particularly in spearheading the EHR transition.” Another reflected that “clinical affairs wouldn’t run as efficiently without her,” capturing how integral she has become in just three years.
According to Butler, having an award for staff members who have been with GSDM for less than five years shows how every person can make a difference and that all hard work is being noticed.
“It’s definitely a boost of confidence to know that you’re doing the right thing,” Butler said. “Sometimes you’re so deep in the weeds, you don’t think that people see when you’re going above and beyond or if you’re working really hard on a project, but they do.”
*The Henry M. Goldman Award for Distinguished Service is usually presented at the GSDM December Faculty/Staff Meeting, but Mendoza was unable to attend in December 2025.
Photos taken by Dan Bomba, GSDM.