NEHA NEWS
health policy and international uniformity. Nearly 700 profession- als from 27 countries participated in the event. “While cultures and monetary currencies vary by country, the challenges the profession encounters worldwide are remarkably similar. Speakers unpacked issues related to academic enrollments, local politics, and the dynamic conditions associated with climate change,” said Dr. Dyjack. “Implications and solutions related to retail food safety, disaster readiness, wildfires, and healthy homes dominated the agenda.” In total, we led two full-day preconference workshops, delivered two plenary presentations, and were central to two plenary panel discussions. We were also delighted to learn that several local South Pacific environmental health practitioners and academics plan to attend and speak at our upcoming 2024 Annual Educational Con- ference (AEC) & Exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The World Congress was made possible by the eorts of IFEH and Environmental Health Australia. NEHA Sta Profiles As part of tradition, we feature new sta members in the Journal around the time of their 1-year anniversary. These profiles give you an opportunity to get to know our sta better and to learn more about the great programs and activities going on in your associa- tion. This month we are pleased to introduce you to three NEHA sta members. Contact information for all NEHA sta can be found on pages 52 and 53. Kelsey Lyon I have been with NEHA since August 2023 as the chief operating officer (COO). From day one, I have been amazed at the dedication of the sta and the passion they bring to their work. While I worked in public health my entire career, I did not specialize in environmental health and I have quickly learned how important of a workforce it truly is to keep us healthy and safe where we live, work, and play. I enjoy working in a fast-paced and innovative culture. In my previous roles, I have focused on organizational transformation. In an ever-changing field with an important workforce, looking to the future of public health while ensuring strong systems that support innovation has become a passion for me. As COO I am working hand in hand with sta to identify oppor- tunities to enhance our internal collaboration, streamline systems, and ensure operational excellence, working behind the scenes so that our sta and experts can work with our partners and members to advance the field of environmental health. We have grown tre- mendously in the last few years, and we want to ensure that we are utilizing the technology available to us, recruiting and hiring the best talent, and developing strategies for strong collaboration and
communication across the organization, with our members, and with the workforce at large. NEHA is an amazing organization that has the passion and the expertise within to be a national and global leader and advocate for the environmental health workforce. Samantha Streuli
I have been with NEHA for almost 1 year working as the senior research and evaluation coordinator for the NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grant Program. My job includes doing various research and evaluation tasks to ensure that grantees are meet- ing their goals and that our program is helping to build capacity in the retail
food regulatory workforce. I also support research and evalua- tion eorts across the organization by assisting with the devel- opment of surveys, writing evaluation sections in grants, and supporting quantitative analyses. I enjoy being able to work on a variety of dierent tasks and designing research projects that are informed by the on-the-ground experiences of our environ- mental public health workforce. I love using research and data to solve real-world problems, and I’m motivated by doing impact- ful, collaborative work. I hope to one day become a research director leading various research projects to advance environ- mental health equity and justice. I received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from The Ohio State University, where my training was focused on biological anthropology and biocultural approaches to human health. I went on to receive my master of art (MA) and doctoral degree (PhD) in medical anthropology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). For my dissertation work, I collaborated with a nonprofit refugee organization called Somali Family Service (SFS) on the development and evaluation of a community-based vaccination education intervention. I was also employed by SFS as a commu- nity health specialist and researcher. At SFS, I supported program development, grant writing, reporting and evaluation, and data collection and analysis for more than 4 years. Much of my work with this organization and other local nonprofits was focused on supporting community health worker training, addressing envi- ronmental justice issues, and advancing health equity. After my PhD, I spent 2 years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health at UCSD, where I worked on various health equity projects during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to provide research consulting services to local nonprofit organizations. I occasionally still collaborate with academic researchers at UCSD as well as community-based orga- nizations in San Diego, California, where I have been living for about one decade. When I’m not working, I enjoy reading science fiction and fantasy books, playing video games, going for walks, and hanging out with my partner and our two dogs.
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July/August 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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