Please join me in welcoming Cara Christ, MD as our new Division of Licensing Services chief. Cara has agreed to share her talents as the new Assistant Director for Licensing as well as serving as the Agency Chief Medical Officer. Also, thanks a million to Colby Bower who’s been doing an excellent job serving as interim director for licensing since Alan passed away.
Cara started her public health quest about a dozen years ago when she worked in our infectious disease epidemiology shop. While there, she developed a passion for both medicine and epidemiology- so she left to study medicine with a goal of working as a CDC disease detective. I can remember being disappointed when we lost her to medical school 10 years ago but alas, she returned to us after graduating- and she’s been working in our Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control (EDC) for the last few years… most recently serving as the EDC Bureau Chief (one of my old jobs).
I think Cara will be perfect for this job- bringing value added from her solid leadership and management style to her eye for public health “leverage points”- and most of all her passion for improving outcomes and using public health principles to change lives and communities. Our Licensing Division is perhaps our greatest leverage point for achieving these elements of our strategic map.
Cara will also be providing Agency leadership in her new role as the ADHS Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Nelson has been serving in the Agency CMO role for the last couple of years- doing an excellent job. I’m certain that we can count on Cara to continue to carry that torch effectively for Arizona.
Thanks!
