A Lifetime of Advocacy Recognized: Sjögren’s Foundation Leader Kathy Hammitt Receives the 2025 Jack Hein Public Service Award
Congratulations Kathy Hammitt on receiving AADOCR’s 2025 Jack Hein Public Service Award!
Kathy Hammitt didn’t expect the email in her inbox. But when she read the words ‘Congratulations on being selected for the 2025 Jack Hein Public Service Award,’ she was stunned.
For decades, Kathy, who is Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs for the Sjögren’s Foundation, has championed Sjögren’s disease research and patient advocacy without seeking the spotlight. Receiving this award felt both surreal and deeply personal.
“I'm not an out front type person and I tend to work quietly behind the scenes and I enjoy giving others the spotlight for being an integral part of a great team,” she shared. “So to receive such a distinguished award from an organization that I've long admired and supported just especially means so much to me.”
Awarded by the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), this prestigious honor recognizes AADOCR members who have demonstrated exemplary service in public affairs by championing oral health research to a broad audience.
Kathy was recognized with the 2025 Jack Hein Public Service Award during the 54th Annual Meeting of the AADOCR in March 2025.
The award is especially significant because Kathy, a Sjögren’s patient herself, knows that oral health is a life-altering aspect of Sjögren’s disease. Sjögren’s is a systemic autoimmune condition that directly impacts the mouth by attacking moisture-producing glands, leading to severe dry mouth, chronic oral infections, difficulty swallowing, tooth decay, and even an increased risk of lymphoma through the salivary glands.
“We need research to understand the mechanisms that lead to dry mouth so we can develop solutions. We need studies to learn how to prevent loss of saliva and tooth decay and find innovative and better solutions for restoring our teeth,” she says. “But ultimately, understanding what's happening in the mouth and in the salivary glands can shed light on everything that's happening in Sjögren’s.”
For years, Kathy has pushed oral health to the forefront of Sjögren’s care, making sure doctors, researchers, and policymakers see it as more than just a symptom, but as a fundamental part of patient well-being.
But her journey to this moment began long before she became a leader in the field—it started with her own diagnosis, determination, and an unexpected encounter that changed everything.
From Journalist to Advocate: A Life-Changing Diagnosis
Kathy never planned to dedicate her career to studying Sjögren’s disease. She started out as a television news producer and writer in Washington, D.C., thriving in an industry that matched her passion for learning, storytelling, and uncovering critical issues. Coming from a family of educators and medical professionals, both parents were college professors, and her grandparents were physicians, she had always been drawn to the power of learning.
“Being a journalist gave me the excuse to learn about art, or learn about things in the government, or learn about so many different things,” she says. “I love to learn and I love to get out there and talk to people.”
Then, her own medical mystery changed everything.
After 17 years of unexplained symptoms, she was diagnosed with Sjögren’s disease—a condition that forced her to leave behind the career she loved.
With little information available at the time, she took matters into her own hands, spending hours at medical libraries trying to understand her disease. It was during this search that she found a clinical trial for dry eye at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Even though she didn’t yet have dry eye symptoms, she enrolled anyway, determined to take control of her health.
That decision led to a chance encounter that would change the course of her life.
While waiting for her appointment, she struck up a conversation with another patient and casually mentioned that someone needed to start an organization for this disease.
That woman was Elaine Harris, the founder of the Sjögren’s Foundation.
“She told me she had just started a group, and I immediately told her I wanted to be involved—but only after I got back on my feet,” Kathy recalled. “Elaine asked for a timeline, I gave her one, and on the exact day I told her I’d be ready, she called me.”
She has been involved ever since.
Building a Movement for Change
From those early days of the Sjögren’s Foundation, Kathy played an integral role in shaping the organization into what it is today. What started as a small grassroots effort grew a global leading organization in Sjögren’s advocacy, research, and patient support.
“I love identifying the barriers to getting good care and learning more about this disease,” Kathy says. “Then, I love bringing the right people to the table to address those barriers and create change.”
Throughout her career, she has forged vital collaborations between researchers, clinicians, and patients, breaking down silos and ensuring that Sjögren’s disease remains at the forefront of scientific and medical progress.
Her work has directly transformed the landscape of Sjögren’s disease research and care, including but not limited to:
- Establishing the International Clinical Trials Consortium, working toward more successful clinical trials for potential therapies.
- Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines, creating clear, evidence-based care standards for rheumatologists, dentists, pulmonologists, ophthalmologists, neurologists and other healthcare professionals treating Sjögren’s patients.
- Leading the push for Social Security Disability recognition, making it easier for Sjögren’s patients to receive financial and medical support.
- Updating ICD medical codes, improving the ability of doctors to diagnose and track the disease properly.
- Driving the global shift to the term "Sjögren’s disease", reinforcing the systemic nature of the condition.
Her ability to bring stakeholders together, identify barriers, and push for real change has helped drive some of the most significant advancements in the field.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Sjögren’s
Though much progress has been made, Kathy believes the most transformative breakthroughs are still ahead. She is particularly focused on the potential of biomarker research and precision medicine, which could revolutionize diagnosis and treatment.
“I see huge changes in Sjögren’s. Advancements have been accelerating in recent years,” she says. “We need better diagnostic tools, and right now, too many people fall into the ‘maybe’ category. Biomarkers will help us determine exactly who has Sjögren’s, what their individual risks are, and which treatments will work best for them.”
She is also pushing for greater international collaboration to ensure that clinical trials are designed with the right patient populations, meaningful endpoints, and a clearer understanding of disease progression.
A Relentless Drive for Progress
Though her work is demanding, Kathy still makes time for the things that bring her joy like music, books, and being part of a book club. But nothing compares to the time she spends with her two children and two grandchildren, whom she calls the light of her life.
At the same time, her dedication to Sjögren’s never wavers.
“95% of my time is devoted to constantly thinking about Sjögren’s. The Foundation has been at the forefront of change, tackling barriers and bringing the international community together. I feel like it’s a leading and formidable force in ensuring the patient is always front and center, so the millions who deal with Sjögren’s every day have hope and the promise of a better future.”
For Kathy, this award isn’t just an honor, it’s a challenge. There’s still so much work to do, and as history has shown, when Kathy sees a challenge, she meets it head-on.