2015 Sentinel Awards

The creative team of Madam Secretary at the 2015 Sentinel Awards. From left: Tracy Mercer, executive producer; Joy Gregory, co-executive producer/writer; Matt Ward, co-executive producer/writer; and David Grae, co-executive producer/writer. The show won in Drama for a storyline about post traumatic stress disorder. Photo by Howard Pasamanick

The hit CBS series Madam Secretary  was the winner in the Drama category at the glittering ceremony for the 16th annual Sentinel Awards, which recognize exemplary achievements in television storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives.

The awards, held at the Taglyan Complex on Sept. 24, are presented in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center. This year’s call for entries drew nearly 90 submissions, the largest number ever received.

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Madam Secretary was honored for its story about U.S. Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, played by Téa Leoni, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after barely surviving a bloody attack in Iran. Co-executive producer and writer Matt Ward accepted the award. 

“Any award that has the words Norman Lear and your name on it is pretty exciting,” Ward said. “We tried really hard to get it right, and I’m honored that [HH&S] felt that we did, especially because so many people in uniform have come home with PTSD.” 

Celebrities and guest speakers at the event included actor Justin Baldoni of The CW comedy show Jane the Virgin; actors René Alvarado and Gabriel Chavarria of the Hulu original series East Los High; Dr. Zoanne Clack, executive producer for the ABC series Grey’s Anatomy; and Howard Rodman, president of the Writers Guild of America, West.

The 2015 Sentinel Awards winners: