This month, BPHC’s Associate Director, Bianka Çimrin, was honored with two different awards recognizing her leadership, advocacy, and commitment to prevention and community well-being. Flavors Hook Kids highlighted Bianka’s prevention work and invited her to share her story in a feature interview. In it she reflected on how deeply personal this work is and spoke about her desire to be a positive role model for her daughter and family. She further emphasized that prevention is essential for youth development, community well-being, and achieving health equity.
In her interview, Bianka highlighted the priorities that guide her approach to prevention:
Empowering Youth: Prevention is most effective when young people are not only informed but also empowered as leaders, with opportunities to use their voices and shape their own health outcomes.
Broad Collaboration: Success comes through partnership—combining local engagement, statewide collaboration, and policy advocacy.
Addressing Misconceptions: Many parents still view vaping as a “safe alternative” to smoking, a dangerous misconception that shows how critical education and outreach remain.
Environmental Awareness: Beyond health impacts, tobacco and nicotine products cause serious environmental damage, from cigarette butt pollution to the hazardous waste created by disposable vapes.
Challenging Stigma and Normalization: Substance use is often both stigmatized and normalized, creating a complicated dynamic that can prevent people from seeking help.
Prevention is not just about changing one person’s habits, but about creating a supportive environment for everyone.” – Bianka Çimrin
“Prevention is not just about changing one person’s habits, but about creating a supportive environment for everyone.”
Her core message is simple but powerful: prevention succeeds when communities “show up, stay involved, and use our voices.”
In addition to this honor, Bianka was also recognized by City Market, Onion River Co-op with the Community Service Award in Honor of Don Schramm at their Annual Member Meeting. This annual award is presented to an individual whose contributions have had a lasting and positive impact on Burlington, with nominations coming directly from community members. Bianka was recognized for her service in substance use prevention, her leadership as a member of the City’s Board of Health, and her historic role as one of the first immigrants to serve on the Burlington City Council.
Together, these two awards shine a spotlight on Bianka’s passion for prevention and her unwavering belief in the power of community. They reflect the values at the heart of BPHC: collaboration, advocacy, and the conviction that healthier communities can be built when everyone works together.
