Unsung Heroes' Award

2026 C. Everett Koop Unsung Heroes Award Recipient: Gustavo A. Torrez

Gustavo A. Torrez is a nationally recognized leader in tobacco control policy and youth advocacy whose career spans nearly three decades. He has dedicated his work to advancing evidence-based policies, elevating health equity, championing authentic youth engagement principles, and providing space for young people to drive meaningful change in their communities.

From first marching on the steps of the California State Capitol alongside his peers — delivering thousands of signatures to successfully advocate for the restoration of California’s Proposition 99 tobacco control funding — to building the STAND program into a nationally replicated model with a 61% peer-led one-year quit rate, Gustavo has consistently translated youth-led organizing into durable policy wins. His Taking Down Tobacco National Youth Advocacy Training Program — recognized in the CDC’s Best Practices User Guide and honored with three Lenny Awards and the NNPHI Elevating Practice Award — trained more than 2.6 million young people across all 50 states, D.C., Guam, and American Samoa, more than doubling its initial goal.

In addition to his programmatic achievements, Gustavo has been a champion for integrating health equity into tobacco control policy. As Program Manager of the National LGBT Health Equity Network at the Fenway Institute, he presented before the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, co-developed the MPOWERED framework for LGBT tobacco prevention, and helped launch Puerto Rico’s first LGBTT Health Summit — building infrastructure for communities historically overlooked by mainstream public health. In 2022, he launched the Global Young Ambassador Network, building on the successful U.S.-based youth advocacy ambassador program. In 2023, the Association for Ethnic Studies honored him with the Outstanding Advocacy in Race and Ethnic Studies Award.

Through his strategic vision, dedication to youth empowerment, and unwavering commitment to public health, Gustavo A. Torrez has made an enduring impact on the tobacco control movement.

The American Lung Association is proud to recognize Gustavo A. Torrez as the 2026 C. Everett Koop Unsung Hero award recipient.

Nominations for the 2027 C. Everett Koop Unsung Heroes Award will open in the late winter/early spring 2027. Please check back then for more information.