Miami-Dade County Health Department Administrator Lillian Rivera, R.N., M.S.N., Ph.D., has been named the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health for 2008 by the University of South Florida College of Public Health. The College bestows the award each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership have contributed significantly to the field of public health in Florida.

As head of the Miami-Dade County Health Department, Rivera manages more than 1,000 employees and a $70-million annual budget. She joined the department in 1990 as nursing director and has served as administrator since 2003, except for a six-month period during 2007 when she served as Florida’s deputy health officer.