Hennepin Healthcare Mobile Health medical director receives national immunization award

News Release
Aug. 4, 2025

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Sheyanga Beecher, director of the Hennepin Healthcare Pediatric Mobile Health Program, has been named Minnesota’s 2025 Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Managers and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

Beecher is being honored for her dedication, leadership and innovative approach to increasing immunization rates among patients by removing access barriers, building trusted community partnerships and communicating the value and safety of vaccines.

“In celebration of National Immunization Awareness Month, we are proud to honor Sheyanga as Minnesota’s 2025 Immunization Champion,” said Jessica Hancock-Allen, director of MDH’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division. “Sheyanga is an incredible and valued partner whose leadership and commitment to protecting the health and wellbeing of children shines in all aspects of her work.”

The Immunization Champion Award celebrates the outstanding efforts of health professionals, coalition members, community advocates and other immunization leaders in all 50 U.S. states, eight U.S. territories and the District of Columbia that go above and beyond to ensure immunization access in their communities.

“During my career, I've had the incredible privilege to sit in spaces of uncertainty with patients and community to listen, learn, and understand barriers, knowledge gaps and concerns that drive low vaccine rates,” Beecher said. “With this privilege, I’ve found myself with a great responsibility to ensure that families today are as protected against vaccine-preventable diseases as they were yesterday. I’m honored that this award reflects my commitment to advancing public health and healthy communities.”

Through the Pediatric Mobile Health Program, Beecher works with local and state health agencies, Head Start programs, school districts, and community and cultural organizations to provide vaccines and preventative care to children in the community.

Beecher has served in key leadership roles since the Pediatric Mobile Health Program was created in 2020, including as director since 2022. Under her leadership, the Pediatric Mobile Health Program has emerged as a model for Minnesota. It has served more than 11,000 patients, administered over 12,000 vaccines and hosted in excess of 100 pediatric pop-up clinics to serve communities in Hennepin County.

The pop-up clinics have proved to be an important resource for families that don’t have primary health care providers. A critical element to the success of the Pediatric Mobile Health Program has been its ability to remove barriers to access for patients by meeting families in convenient locations and times to provide preventative care through vaccinations. As a result, this program has been able to serve many non-English speaking families and other diverse communities in Hennepin County.

Beecher has also gone above and beyond to serve her community by working to build vaccine confidence through establishing trust and a positive presence in diverse communities, hosting town hall events with community partners and leading the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate videos about vaccine safety to meet community needs.

-MDH-

Media inquiries:
Garry Bowman  
MDH Communications
651-529-5164
garry.bowman@state.mn.us