2026 Annual Award Winners

HFA announced its annual award winners at Symposium in New Orleans. This year’s awards and winners include:

Charles Stanley Hamilton Legacy Award

This award is for extraordinary lifetime service that encompasses national volunteerism, professionalism and leadership. ​​

Charles was a Louisiana native who suffered from severe hemophilia A and who passed far too soon. He was the son of Jan and Dr. Charles Hamilton. HFA would not have existed nor thrived in the early years without the support and sacrifice of Jan and Chuck Hamilton whose untiring work on behalf of the community were profound. Their service to the community encompassed medicine, advocacy and the justice system. With gratitude and thanksgiving, the Charles Stanley Hamilton lifetime service legacy award lives on.​​

Diana Mathis

Diana has worked as a registered nurse at our Hemophilia Treatment Center for over 35 years. She joined the University of Michigan’s Hemophilia Treatment Center at its inception when it started as an HIV clinic. 

Diana has dedicated her life’s work to bleeding disorder care. Not only is she is a wealth of information, but she is also compassionate, and incredibly supportive. She has seen patients and families throughout their whole lives and has there for births, graduations, weddings, deaths, and of course the small day-to-day victories and hardships. 

Diana has organized HIV retreats, educational dinners, and many other events for patients. She also created a program called Infusion U, teaching kids how to self-infuse over five.

It Takes a Village Award

It Takes A Village Award is awarded to an individual who goes above and beyond in uniting the community and has demonstrated a unique ability to link those in need…from the experienced bleeding disorder veteran to the newly diagnosed family.​​

​Robin Monin

Robin has been involved with the community for more than 40 years since she started assisting her younger brother with learning self-infusion. In her youth and teen years, she was involved with her local member organization, Bleeding Disorders Association of Northeastern New York with the goal of getting families more involved. 

She later became the Vice-president, President, and currently the Program Manager for HACA. She was instrumental in planning, organizing and implementing their Women’s Retreat and chapter Education Day, von Willebrand education days, a program for Spanish speaking members and a support group specifically for new families serves.

After an extremely challenging but rewarding pregnancy, Robin and her husband Phil were blessed with a son who was diagnosed with severe hemophilia. In 2017, with the help of the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan and the support HACA, the Monin’s embarked on a mission to adopt an orphan with hemophilia from China. 

As her nominator said, “Because of Robin, her sons Luke and Jack are able to shine their bright light of hope for all as community members and future leaders by making a change and a difference in our quality of life.”

Ron Niederman Humanitarian Award​

This award is for extraordinary and inspirational service via one’s professional work and/or volunteer service. ​​

Ron was a New Jersey native who had hemophilia and contracted HIV from the contaminated blood supply in the 1980s. He was an active member of the Hemophilia Association of New Jersey and a champion in the fight to make America’s blood supply safe for all. His pursuit of legal redress for the damage, suffering, and death of community members was legendary. He was always willing and available to provide service and assistance to those in need. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us, but his legacy truly lives on. ​​

Jeff Blake

​​Jeff joined the Hemophilia Alliance in 2017. Prior to joining the Alliance, Jeff was a tireless advocate for many of the programs that continue to serve the community, including the Hemophilia Alliance Foundation, The Alliance Pharmacy. 

As president and CEO, he launched a genetic testing program to make access to the correct diagnosis a reality for the uninsured and underinsured. Under his leadership, the Alliance offers significant financial support.

Leaders of the Future Young Adult Leader Award

This award is for exemplary service, leadership, and integrity by a Teen or Young Adult under age 21 who demonstrates courage and promise. Leadership at any age is hard, but being a young leader takes a different kind of grit, to prove to the world that you have something to offer, and that is worth celebrating every single time. ​​

​​Sophia Horta

Sophia is a 17-year-old advocate from Southern California whose leadership and commitment have made a meaningful impact on the bleeding disorders community. 

Born into a family affected by hemophilia and living with mild hemophilia herself, Sophia has transformed her personal experiences into powerful advocacy. She is an active and proud member of the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California (HFSC), where she played a key role in launching the organization’s Young Adult Program.

At her High School, Sophia founded and leads a Bleeding Disorders Awareness Club, creating a safe and inclusive space for students to learn about hemophilia and related conditions. 

Sophia continues to break barriers, challenge misconceptions, and inspire others to advocate for themselves and their loved ones. 

TEA (Teach, Empower and Advocate) Award

The TEA Award was created to recognize outstanding women who support women’s bleeding disorders issues.  

In 2013 a breakout only for ladies to network and discuss advocacy for women with bleeding disorders was created. It was a time for connecting with other women, discussing issues that impact women and supporting each other as women. The Ladies Tea became a popular breakout and made the rounds at many state, regional and national events.

Fabiola Danastorg

Fabiola has been instrumental to the Puerto Rico organization, serving as secretary. With her leadership skills and personality, the Woman’s Empowerment Movement was created. This movement brought together more than 60 women with hemophilia on a weekend getaway to celebrate and support each other with the help of pharmaceutical companies. It highlighted the importance of community and a chain of support, love and care. 

Thank you Fabiola for making sure woman’s voice are heard and understand. She has demonstrated the power of female advocates. 

Fabiola has also been a face for woman in Washington, D.C. She was featured in a national magazine for the medical community, where she represented resilience, compassion and importance of all patients, not just women.

Volunteer of the Year Award

The Volunteer of the Year Award, also known as the national spirit of volunteerism award, is selected by the HFA staff in recognition of tremendous national spirit and remarkable volunteerism with HFA in service to the bleeding disorders community. ​

Linda “Lew” Wyman-Collins, Kathi Sheldon and Becki Berkowski

Each year, these licensed and highly skilled Registered Nurses generously take time away from their professional roles to volunteer at Symposium, providing exceptional care to our community. Their commitment goes far beyond standard volunteer service—they are available around the clock, ready to respond to any first aid needs, assist with infusions and injections, and address urgent medical situations, even in the middle of the night. In addition to their hands-on care, these nurses proactively ensure that the Infusion Suite is fully equipped. They have repeatedly stepped in to secure essential supplies, whether something was forgotten or unexpectedly needed, demonstrating their dedication to patient safety.

Their compassion shines through in every interaction—they care for attendees of all ages with warmth and professionalism, sharing their expertise through teaching, coaching, and promoting independence in in infusion and injection skills. 

Thanks to Lew, Kathi, and Becki, Symposium is not only a place of learning and connection but also a safe and supportive environment.

Member Organization Spotlight Award 

Recognizing an HFA Member Organization with a true passion for service to their community. This award honors an organization that has created an environment within their membership that engages members, continually promotes education and consistently encourages self-advocacy.  

Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California and Executive Director Rigoberto Garcia

The Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California serves more than 4,000 community members across 9 counties with a passion for service and a deep commitment to ensuring individuals and families affected by bleeding disorders feel supported, connected, and empowered. They also approach their work with compassion, cultural responsiveness, and a willingness to evolve in response to community needs.

The organization continually adapts programs, new initiatives and expands outreach efforts to address barriers to care, gaps in education, and the diverse needs of the populations it serves. This commitment has earned national recognition, including honors from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and Sanofi.

One of the clearest examples of their dedication is Familia de Sangre, the nation’s largest conference conducted entirely in Spanish for individuals and families affected by bleeding disorders.

HFSC continually evolves its approach to remain relevant and responsive to community needs. Offerings include family educational symposiums, disease-specific education sessions, youth leadership initiatives, women’s retreats, wellness programs, and culturally responsive conferences such as Familia de Sangre.