The Vaccine Advisory Committee (VAC) includes representatives with expertise in tribal health, vaccinology, preventative medicine, vaccine-preventable disease management, pediatrics, epidemiology, family practice, naturopathic medicine, school health, health care purchasing, pharmacy issues, internal medicine, perinatal health care, childcare, obstetrics and gynecology, and public health. The Chief Science Officer chairs this meeting with support from the Office of Immunization.
Open Seats
Members attend quarterly meetings in January, April, July, and October on the 2nd Thursday of the month. January, July, and October meetings are held via Zoom and run from 11am to 1pm. April meetings will be hybrid with both an in-person attendance option and Zoom option. Hybrid meetings will run from 11am to 2pm to accommodate this format.
Student Seat: You must be a fourth-year undergraduate student or a graduate student residing in Washington state to join the committee for a one-year term. The ideal candidate would be passionate about immunizations and policy and would support the work of the VAC by sharing the student perspective.
School Nurse Seat: You must be actively working as a school nurse and residing in Washington state to join the committee for a three-year term. The ideal candidate would be passionate about immunizations and policy and would support the work of the VAC by sharing the school nursing perspective.
If you meet the requirements and are interested in joining the VAC, please submit your resume and a 500 word statement of interest to vaccineadvisorycommittee@doh.wa.gov by May 8, 2024.
Recruitment Timeline
- Open recruitment: April 8 - May 8, 2024
- Resume and statement of interest submission due: May 8, 2024
- Submission review and candidate selection: May - June, 2024
- Notification: Mid June
- First Meeting: July 11, 2024
VAC Members
Chair
- Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD, MPH, Chief Science Officer, Washington State Department of Health
Managed Care
- Dr. John Dunn, Kaiser Permanente
American Indian Health Commission for Washington (AIHC)
- Wendy Stevens
State Agency Healthcare Purchasers
- Korrina Dalke, RN, BSN, CPC, Health Care Authority
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)
- Dr. Charisse Gumapas, ARNP, DNP
Naturopathic Medicine
- Dr. Mary Alison Koehnke, ND, Washington, Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Washington Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP)
- Dr. Gretchen LaSalle
- Dr. John Merrill-Steskal
Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WCAAP)
- Dr. Francis Bell
- Dr. Seema Abbasi
Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO)
- Dr. Mark Larson, Health Officer, Kittitas County Public Health Department
Public Health--Seattle & King County
- Libby Page, MPH, Immunization Program Manager
Internal Medicine Organization
- Dr. Mary Anderson, Washington Chapter of American College of Physicians
Washington State Pharmacy Association
- Dr. Jenny Arnold, Pharm.D., Director of Pharmacy Practice Development
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
- Annie Hetzel, MSN, RN, NCSN, School Health Services Consultant
Childcare
- Lauren Greenfield, BS, BSN, RN, Public Health Nurse Consultant, Child Care Health Program at Public Health – Seattle and King County
Urban Indian Health Institute
- Dr. Maithri Sarangam, Pediatrician
Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center
- Tam Lutz, Project Director
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
- Dr. Alisa Kachikis
Consultants
- Dr. Beth Harvey
- Dr. Ed Marcuse
Department of Health Staff
- Dr.Jamilia Sherls-Jones, DNP, MPH, RN, CPN, CDP, Director, Office of Immunization
- Heather Drummond, MPH, Director, COVID-19 Vaccine
- Jéaux Rinedahl, PhD, RN, Clinical, Quality, and Schools Section Manager, Office of Immunization
- Janel Jorgenson, Vaccine Management Section Manager, Office of Immunization
- Dr. Meredith Cook, PhD, Assessment Section Manager, Office of Immunization
- Peter Dieringer, MPH, Informatics Section Manager, Office of Immunization
- Jeff Chorath, MBA, MHA, Immunization Information System Section Manager, Office of Immunization
- TeriLynn Bullock, Office Manager, Office of Immunization
- Mary Huynh, MPH, MPP, CDC Senior Public Health Advisor, Office of Immunization
- Meghan Cichy, MPH, RDN, CD, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of Immunization
- Chas DeBolt, RN, MPH, Vaccine Preventable Diseases Epidemiologist, Office of Health and Science
- Danielle Koenig, Acting Director, Health Promotion and Health Education, Office of Public Affairs and Equity