Currently, I am the Assistant State Epidemiologist and State Public Health Veterinarian for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of Epidemiologic Services. This encompasses communicable disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, and consulting on infectious diseases. I also coordinate the electronic reporting of infectious diseases and conduct special projects including a pilot program surveying drug resistant bacteria in Kansas hospitals and sentinel surveillance of diarrhea in Kansas. Before coming to Kansas in late 1996, I spent fourteen mostly fun years in predominately small animal practices in North Carolina, Washington, and New York. While in private practice, I considered pursuing an advanced degree in veterinary dentistry. However, while working in the other Manhattan (New York City) HIV/AIDS hit New York. The beginning of that epidemic made me passionately interested in combining my veterinary knowledge of zoonotic diseases with public health. I acquired a degree in public health-epidemiology and landed a position as an epidemiologist in at the Seattle/King County Department of Public Health. I was primarily involved in applied HIV/AIDS research among injection drug users and youth at risk. Among the most exciting projects I contributed to was an evaluation of the Seattle needle-exchange program. The chance to combine my education in public health and veterinary medicine brought me
to Kansas where I can pursue diverse my epidemiology interests. My favorite areas include
zoonotic diseases, HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
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