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A 2012 graduate of the SWAG��Ƶ College of Osteopathic Medicine has been appointed to become the next director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that Puthiery Va, D.O., will assume the position on Aug. 28, 2023. She was appointed for the position by Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew following a national search.

Va is currently the director of the Division of Public Health in Chinle, Arizona, serving the population of the Indian Health Service Navajo Area Chinle Service Unit. There, she oversees both public health activities and clinical services that include population health, public health nursing, adolescent school health, diabetes, native medicine, health promotion and disease prevention, and clinical and community nutrition programs.

“I’m honored to accept the position of director of the Maine CDC and eager to contribute to the well-being of the people of Maine,” Va said in a . “I look forward to further strengthening Maine’s public health infrastructure through equitable and community-based services that advance the key initiatives of Governor Mills and Commissioner Lambrew.”

Jane Carreiro, D.O., dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and vice president for Health Affairs, said she is happy to welcome Va back to Maine.

“Dr. Va brings extensive knowledge and expertise to our health care system, patients, and communities,” Carreiro remarked. “It is very meaningful for our students to see a fellow Nor'easter in this very important position, and I look forward to working with Dr. Va to address the health care needs of our state.”

In the DHHS statement, Commissioner Lambrew said Va was selected for the post based on her extensive range of experience in primary clinical care, epidemiology, and public health emergency response, having most recently led the successful COVID-19 response in the Navajo Nation.

“Dr. Va has been a frontline leader — as well as a clinician and epidemiologist — during a global health emergency following a distinguished role as a disease investigator at the U.S. CDC,”  Lambrew said. “These experiences, alongside managing public health from the Bronx to the Navajo Nation after beginning her medical career here in Maine, gives Dr. Va a deep keel for navigating Maine’s public health challenges.”

Prior to joining the Indian Health Service, Va served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the national CDC, where she led a team examining the impact of dietary sodium intake on health, particularly its connection to chronic diseases. She also played a crucial role in various response teams, including the Zika Virus International Task Force and a mumps outbreak response team in Arkansas.

Va’s journey to the United States as a child, alongside her family as refugees from Cambodia, adds a valuable dimension to her commitment to public health and humanitarian work.

• (U.S. News)
• (Maine Public)
• (Portland Press Herald)
• (Yahoo! News)
• (Bangor Daily News)
• (NEWS CENTER Maine)
• (Fox 23 Bangor)