At the September annual meeting of the Tennessee Public Health Association (Tennessee's American Public Health Association Affiliate), Dr. Paul C. Erwin received the Doris Spain Award for Distinguished Service for his significant contributions to TPHA. He has been a member of TPHA since 1991, and served as President in 2016-17.

Since his appointment as Dean of the UAB School of Public Health in August, Dr. Erwin has joined the Alabama Public Health Association (Alabama's American Public Health Association Affiliate) and plans to continue working in the important area of engagement between academia and practice.