We’re beyond proud to share that Lily Chen, our fearless Executive Director of the UCA WAVES Youth Mental Health Collaborative, has received the prestigious 2025 Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award from UNC!

Presented by the Carolina Center for Public Service, this award honors Lily’s strong leadership and ongoing dedication to youth mental health, especially in the Chinese and broader AAPI communities. Her work has been a force of healing, visibility, and real change at both the local and national level.

“Our story matters because immigrant stories are also American stories.” – Lily Chen

During her speech, Lily shared:

“It truly takes a village to tackle such a complex health problem like suicide prevention. I’m so grateful to Carolina Nursing for helping me find my voice—both through data and through storytelling. This honor isn’t just about me. It’s about every young person who deserves to be seen, supported, and heard.”

From organizing healing spaces and speaking at the White House to building long-term solutions with compassion and courage, Lily represents the heart of UCA WAVES.

2025年4月16日，在北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校（UNC Chapel Hill）举行的年度颁奖典礼上，华裔学者、护理教育家、社区领袖——陈健（Lily Chen）荣膺2025年度公众服务奖（Public Service Award）。

该奖项由卡罗来纳公共服务中心(Carolina Center for Public Service)颁发，校长李·罗伯茨（Lee Roberts）亲自为她颁奖，表彰她在华人社区精神健康服务方面的卓越贡献和坚定倡导。UNC护理学院院长Valerie Howard博士亲自到场祝贺。

作为美国华人联盟心理健康组织（ UCA WAVES）的执行长，陈健自2016年起便投身社区教育与心理健康倡导。在她的带领下，该教育项目有近美国50州及众多国家听众参与，影响成千上万的移民家庭，尤其在心理健康领域深耕多年，改变了无数年轻人的命运。

在领奖致辞中，陈健激动地表示：“这个奖不是属于我一个人，而是属于我们整个华人社区，属于我们UCA和精神健康联盟所有为社区默默付出的同仁们。”

“在美中关系日益紧张的当下，一个华人的面孔能在主流社会发声，传达‘我们也是美国人’的信息，这种象征意义尤为重要。”她说，这是她领奖致辞最后一句话“移民的故事也是美国的故事”要表达的心声。点击阅读《陈健荣获北卡大学2025年度公众服务奖——彰显华人女性在精神健康领域的坚韧与光芒》