[ARCHIVES] BUZZ AROUND THE OFFICE
Staff happenings as listed in the DPH Communications Newsletter
Highlighting DPH staff news, events, achievements, and milestones.
📅 10/05/2023
🙌 Thank you for your service Kathy! | The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics would like to announce the retirement of Kathy Anderson. Kathy has worked for 15 years in the bureau both in legal and in customer service. She began with the bureau on September 7, 2008, as an Office Specialist 2 (OS2) in Client Services. On May 10, 2009, Kathy was promoted to a Technical Records Specialist 1 (TRS1) in the same team. Then on January 10, 2011, Kathy became a program specialist with Records Services in the Legal Action unit. She then went on to be promoted to a program supervisor, in the customer service team on January 19, 2015. Then she was promoted to a Program Supervisor in our Records Services team in 2019. In May 2019, a program manager position was developed and Kathy was promoted to it. Kathy has provided indispensable and excellent contributions to many facets of bureau work, including changes to statutes and administrative rule, responding to changing requirements and social issues, dealing with difficult customers, and many other areas. The bureau wants to thank her for everything she has done. Her last day in the office was September 20. Please join us in thanking Kathy and congratulating her on her new adventure!
👏 Congratulations Amberly! The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics would like to congratulate Amberly Gula on her promotion to a Technical Records Specialist 1 (TRS1). Amberly began with the bureau in November 2022 as a Office Specialist 2 (OS2) in the Standard Services Unit. She began her new position as a TRS1 in the Standard Service Unit on October 2, 2023. Amberly has been a great asset to this Bureau, and we say congratulations, Amberly! We are happy to have you with us!
👏 Congratulations Sowmya! Sowmya Natarajan, Idaho Oral Health Program (IOHP) has successfully completed the requisite training and is recognized as a graduating Fellow of the 2022-2023 American Institute of Dental Public Health (AIDPH) Dental Public Health Leadership Academy.
📅 09/21/2023
👋 Welcome Jiehong Jiang! | Hi, everyone! My name is Jiehong Jiang. I came to America from China about 19 years ago when my husband pursued his Ph.D. Now I live in Ammon, a small city next to Idaho Falls.
I like reading and traveling in my free time. I enjoy cooking and love to see how happy my family is when eating the food that I make. I recently had a lot of fun kayaking in Idaho. I’m trying to exploit more fun things to do in this area. I’m excited to have the opportunity to join the Idaho AmeriCorps Healthy Futures Rural Safety-Net Data Project through the Bureau of Rural Health & Primary Care to work with data and use my previous data analysis experiences.
🥳 Happy Birthday! Celebratory wishes to our friends and colleagues in the division!
Angela Wickham - September
Chris Murphy - October
📅 09/07/2023
👋 Congratulations Liz Bowers! | Liz Bowers (Immunization Program) and her family would like to introduce Violeta Avani Fonseca to everyone. Violeta was born at 6:05pm on 8/23/2023. Mom and baby are doing well!
📅 08/25/2023
👋 Welcome Troy Soenen! | Hi everyone! My name is Troy Soenen, and I live in northern Idaho in a town named Rathdrum. I have lived and worked in the northwest for most of my life. I am thrilled to be joining the Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care as a Health Program Specialist.
My first job out of college involved conducting a population health assessment in a rural community as part of a research grant for understanding the impacts of managed care in rural communities. In addition, I have had the opportunity to work with communities, rural health clinics, and critical access hospitals on several different projects and programs. I especially enjoy onsite visits to rural communities to better understand their local health care needs, successes, and challenges. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and our puppy Gordie who is 5 months old. I also enjoy travelling the beautiful state of Idaho and getting to know all the great people who live here.
👋 Welcome Amber Campbell! | Hi everyone! My name is Amber Campbell, and I am a rural Idaho native. I lived in Boise for college and into my 20s but moved back to my hometown of Emmett when my kids started school.
I am a mother to four, two boys and two girls, and spend most of my time hanging out with them and our farm animals (dogs, chickens, and sheep). We are still in the thick of our multi-year house renovation, and in my spare time I love to freeze-dry food. I will happily talk your ear off on all things freeze-drying. Prior to joining the department of Public Health I worked within the division of Behavioral Health and am excited to see how I can leverage my prior experience in this new role as Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access Manager in the Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care.
📅 08/18/2023
📺 Check out the latest Idaho Today HealthLink segments featuring DPH staff along with our partners at Central District Health.
National Immunization Awareness Month on 8/10/23 with Dr. Christine Hahn.
National Breastfeeding Week & WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program on 8/03/23 with Randi Scrima, Breastfeeding Coordinator, Idaho WIC Program & Lora Wallace, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Central District Health WIC.
📅 08/11/2023
👋 Congratulations Andy Bourne! | The Division of Public Health would like to extend congratulations to Andy Bourne. He has accepted a new position within the Division as Grant Manager for the Public Health Infrastructure Grant. Andy began his tenure with Public Health back in 2010. Over this time, he has become a valued and much respected Research Analyst for the Division, specifically supervising all things related to the PRATS questionnaire. Recently, he was a key member of the PHAB Management Team, which navigated the Division through the complex public health reaccreditation process. In addition to his new Grant Manager duties, Andy will also assist with federal compliance tasks. He is a talented communicator of technical materials and will be important in rolling out new tools and trainings for our Public Health staff. Congratulations, Andy!
📅 07/28/2023
👋 Welcome Helen Kilgo! | The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics would like to welcome Helen Kilgo as a temporary OS2 in our Customer Service Unit!
Helen was born and raised in the state of Idaho. After graduating from Boise High School, she attended college at Washington State University, before transferring to Boise State University. She returned to Idaho to be closer to the family and friends she holds so dearly. She loves to travel (especially road tripping!), write poetry, engage with local organizations like The City Club of Boise and the Frank Church Institute, and spend time with Leo both out on an adventure or curled up on the couch. She is very excited to be a part of the Vital Statistics team and continuing to work with this amazing group of people.
📅 07/21/2023
👋 Welcome Angela Wickham! | Angela, who’s no stranger to the division, takes on the new position of Accreditation and Planning Administrative Manager. Angela has a wealth of experience in cross-cutting project management and strategic planning.
👋 Welcome Niki Forbing-Orr! | Niki joins us as our new Communications and Policy Manager. Niki has made the transition over from the Office of Communications, bringing valuable experience and insights to our division. Thrilled to have her onboard!
👋 Welcome Clinton Dela Cruz! | Hey everyone, it’s me! I’ll be taking on the responsibilities of Marketing and Health Education Specialist working under Niki. I was fortunate enough to have been able to transition over from the CDC Foundation to an official position within the division. I’m so happy to remain a part of this team!
👋 Welcome Kara Mastalski! | Kara joins us as the new evaluator for the Public Health Infrastructure grant. She may be familiar to some of you from her previous evaluation work for BCEH, now known as BCH. Welcome back Kara!
📅 07/14/2023
👋 Welcome Naomi Sallay! | Naomi has joined the Idaho Comprehensive Cancer Control Program as their newest Health Program Specialist. She comes to us from Boise State where she has worked for the past 5 years. Please join us in welcoming her to the greater BCH team!
👋 Welcome Meliah Anchustegui! | Meliah has joined the division as the newest member of our administrative support staff team. She joined the front office team part-time as an administrative assistant 1 and is assisting with licensing/software maintenance and renewals, maintaining the DPH Inquiry mailbox, and administrative assistant meeting agendas and minutes, among many other duties. Meliah is a Boise State student with plans to graduate in December with a major in Music. Please come by and say hello to Meliah the next time you are in the office!
👏 Well done Palina Louangketh! | Palina was recently featured in the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) blog! READ THE FULL Q&A HERE!
Q&A Blog Introduction: Palina Louangketh is chief for the Bureau of Equity and Strategic Partnerships of the Division of Public Health at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, founder and executive director of the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora, and a professor of multicultural studies at Boise State University. ASTHO spoke with Louangketh about her history as a refugee to the United States, her extensive work in expanding health equity in Idaho, and how her past has influenced her present.
📅 06/29/2023
👏 Congratulations, True Johnson! | The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics would like to congratulate True on her promotion to a TRS1 in our Priority Services Unit. True began with us August 2022 as an OS2. She has been an asset to this Bureau. We look forward to working with her in her new position.
👏 CSTE Stories from the Field / Dr. Kathryn Turner on Idaho's eCR Success in Tracking MIS-C | Dr. Kathryn Turner, Deputy State Epidemiologist and Chief of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention in Idaho, sits down with CSTE to talk about the use of electronic case reporting (eCR) in 2022 during an investigation of MIS-C. This video is part of an ongoing CSTE Data Modernization Initiative "Stories from the Field" project, which recognizes and celebrates innovation and resiliency in public health surveillance and informatics work performed by state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments. This project is a collaboration with CDC.
📅 06/22/2023
👋 Welcome, Kara Mastalski! Kara joins us in the role of Evaluator for the Infrastructure Grant. Kara may be familiar to many of you through her previous work as an evaluator in BCH. Welcome back to the division!
👋 Welcome, Todd McArthur! Todd joins the division in the role of Workforce Director/Sr Planner. Todd comes to us from St. Lukes where he was a career coach in their HR Department. He will assist with staffing needs such as professional development, employee wellness, retention efforts, and so much more.
👋 Welcome, Tamera Rager! The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics would like to welcome Tamera as an OS2 – Temp, to the Registration unit. Tamera is a California transplant and has been in Idaho for 30 years! She enjoys working in her flower beds, camping, ATV riding, traveling and doing fun activities together with her family. Tamara says she is so happy this position came available because it works perfectly into her life schedule. She appreciates how friendly and helpful everyone has been and she looks forward to many years with Vital Records.
👋 The Lab Chemistry section welcomes Adrianna Hernandez, Kyle Formigli, Kaylene Cecil, and Ashden Field to IBL as technicians to survey groundwater. The Lab is thrilled to have Ashden and Kyle back who are returning from last summer! This will be the eleventh year IBL is collaborating with IDWR for the Statewide Groundwater Program.
👏 Congratulations, Brigitta Gruenberg and Samantha Kirkendall! Brigitta and Samantha have been accepted into the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice 2023-24 Public Health Management Certificate Program. This year-long program helps public health professionals develop core management skills. Some of these skills include budgeting, planning, staffing, conflict negotiation, and interpersonal understanding.
👏 Congratulations, Karla Nelson! Karla successfully completed the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) professional certification. The Get Healthy Idaho team has already used RBA resources and techniques in the annual Get Healthy Idaho plan update and with the Adverse Childhood Experiences taskforce. RBA is designed to move groups quickly from talk to action with a starting focus on the result that we aim to achieve and provides helpful guidance on measuring progress.
👏 Congratulations, to Michele Carreras, Teresa Kobza, and Suzee Moore! During the last DPH Open House they were presented with the Directors Award by DHW Director Dave Jeppesen, and DPH Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, positive approach, and leadership within the division!
📅 05/18/2023
🥾 DPH Hike | A few photos from last week’s division hike at Cottonwood Creek
🏆 Lab-solutely Amazing! | The Idaho Bureau of Laboratories has been recognized with two prestigious awards. Two staff members from the lab were part of working groups that received accolades from the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors.
The H-7 Committee on Diagnostic X-Ray, which is chaired by Rikki Waller, was awarded the “Board of Directors Award for Meritorious Service” by the Conference for Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) for their work on reviewing issues and topics related to diagnostic X-Ray. Their hard work allows CRCPD to readily provide information and recommendations on current medical radiation issues and practices to its membership.
Ty Sollender’s working group was awarded the CRCPD “Board of Directors Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Radiation Protection” for work they did to improve CRCPD’s social media presence, redesign the CRCPD logo, and plans to rebuild the CRCPD website in the future.
These accomplishments reflect the dedication, expertise, and exemplary contributions of the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories and its staff. Well done on these well-deserved recognitions!
📅 05/10/2023
🎉 National Employee Appreciation Week | A message from our Administrator:
“I want to extend my gratitude and thanks to all the amazing people in the Idaho Division of Public Health for their tireless work in protecting the health and well-being of the people of Idaho. Your dedication and commitment to public service is truly invaluable and speaks volumes to the character of every individual in our division. It is through you that we are able to make a positive impact on the lives of others and create a healthier future for all. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to public service.” - Elke Shaw Tulloch
👩🎓 Congratulations Sarah Buchanan! | Please join us in congratulating Sarah on her recent achievement of earning a Master of Public Health degree from Boise State University. A truly monumental achievement and even more amazing given all the work you do in DOPP. Well done!
Kristen Raese and the DOPP team have created this KudoBoard for Sarah.
👋 Goodbye Catalina Ciobanu! | The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics bids farewell and offers congratulations to Catalina Ciobanu for her outstanding service. Since joining the Bureau as an OS2 state temp in November 2021, Catalina has done exceptional work in the Customer Service Unit. Catalina will now embark on a new journey as a TRS1 in Behavioral Health, and while her team will miss her dearly, they are thrilled to see her taking on new challenges. Congrats, Catalina!
📅 05/03/2023
📺 Last week, we featured Dr. Christine Hahn’s KTVB Idaho Today Healthlink interview which received a lot of positive feedback! Click on the links below to watch our previous segments.
4/13/23: Destinie Triplett & Jessie Dexter | DOPP/ODP | National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 👇
3/2/23: Leah Sallas | WIC | National Nutrition Month
2/9/23: Dr. Lisa Barker | Immunization Program | HPV Free Idaho
1/12/23: Ashtin Glodt | Project Filter | QuitLine
12/15/22: Tiffany Robb & Chris Irizarry | ADRD | Alzheimer’s & Dementia
12/8/22: Dr. Christine Hahn | Immunization | Health Tips for the Winter
12/1/22: Carolee Cooper | Environmental Health | Radon Action Month
📅 04/26/2023
👏 Service Recognition | This week I’d like to recognize those who in the last few months have reached a significant milestone in their years of service within our division.
🏆 10 Years of Service:
Shane Wright, Communications Supervisor
Kara Wells, Business Operations Specialist
Peggy Lindley, Management Assistant
🏆 5 Years of Service:
Luann Jensen, Health Program Specialist
Geoffrey Pard, Program Manager
Congratulations to all of the dedicated individuals who have served the public through the Division of Public Health! Your commitment is truly appreciated and has made a positive impact on the health and well-being of our communities.
📺 Idaho Today | Last week, our very own Dr. Christine Hahn was on the KTVB Idaho Today show to talk about National Infant Immunization Week 👇 Great job Dr. Hahn!
📅 04/19/2023
👋 Welcome, Kathy Puckett! Kathy is joining BOCAPS as a WIC Nutrition Coordinator. Kathy comes to us from Southeastern Idaho Public Health’s WIC program. We are excited to have her join the state team.
🙌 Congratulations, Tyrin Stevenson! SPP’s own Tyrin Stevenson was selected as Boise State University’s 2023 University Foundations (UF) Teaching Award winner! We are thrilled and so proud of him! Congratulations, Tyrin! Tyrin was also BSU’s nominee for the Idaho GEM Innovative Educator Award – talk about wow factor! The GEM Innovative Educator Award honors faculty members who demonstrate their passion and craft in advancing the skills, knowledge, and interests of students through general education courses. Tyrin is a Professor of Psychology and teaches PSYC 101: Intro to Psychology, PSYC 331: Psychology of Health, and PSYC 497: Psychology of Aging. Impressive! [Written by Teresa Abbott]
📅 04/12/2023
👋 Welcome Josh Rundle! Josh is entering the division as our new Non-Communicable Disease Syndromic Surveillance Research Analyst Principal (so far he’s the front-runner for longest professional title in the division…any contenders?). Josh will be responsible for analyzing the emergency department data and querying for non-infectious disease-related ED visits.
👋 Welcome Salome Mwangi! Salome has joined BESP (Bureau of Equity and Strategic Partnerships) as their new AA2! Happy to have you aboard Salome!
🙌 Welcome back Megan Hartigan! Megan is returning to her normal work schedule from time away for parental leave. Congratulations on the newest addition to your family! Your colleagues at DOPP are thrilled to have you back!
For questions, concerns, or suggestions email Clinton Dela Cruz or Angela Wickham.