The Directors: An Institute with Valued Leadership

Ray M. (Bud) Nicola, MD, MHSA, FACPM, is a senior consultant and CDC assignee to the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice and an affiliate associate professor in the Department of Health Services. Dr. Nicola is the former director of Public Health – Seattle & King County and the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department.

Mark Oberle, MD, MPH, is associate dean for Public Health Practice at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine and co-director of the Center for Public Health Informatics. He is the principal investigator of the HRSA Public Health Training Center at NWCPHP. Before coming to the University of Washington, Dr. Oberle concluded a 21-year career with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jack Thompson, MSW, is director of the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, a senior lecturer in the Department of Health Services, and faculty associate with the Health Policy Analysis Program at the University of Washington. He has served as director of the Seattle Health Services Division, executive director of Neighborhood Health Centers of Seattle, and consultant to the Robert Wood Johnson Turning Point Initiative.

The Faculty: An Institute Rich with Public Health Experience

Randal Beaton, PhD, EMT, is a research professor and clinical psychologist in the Psychosocial and Community Health Department in the School of Nursing and a research adjunct professor in the Department of Health Services at University of Washington. His research focuses on psychosocial aspects of terrorism in First Responders.

Sharon Bogan, MPH, is an educator consultant in the HIV/AIDS Program at Public Health - Seattle & King County. She also holds the position of research associate at the Center for Health Training, specializing in evaluation of health programs, and is an affiliate instructor for Health Services in the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Luann D'Ambrosio, MEd, is the assistant director of the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. An expert in health promotion and disease prevention education and training programs, she served as manager of professional education programs at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, designing, coordinating and evaluating community-based programs.

Ronald DiGiacomo, VMD, MPH, is a professor of epidemiology with a long-standing interest in infectious diseases and outbreak investigations. He teaches courses in infectious disease epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, and zoonoses (diseases transmissible from animals to humans).

James L. Gale, MD, MS, professor emeritus of epidemiology, is a former county health officer and former director of the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. He studies the relationships between schools of public health and the practice community. Dr. Gale has also conducted research on the adverse effects of vaccines.

Richard Hoskins, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and the public health geographer for the Washington State Department of Health, and clinical associate professor of epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and Division of Biomedical and Health Informatics, School of Medicine. He has carried out GIS studies in disease clusters, birth outcomes, and cancer incidence.

John Kobayashi, MD, MPH, is a clinical assistant professor at the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. He is the foreign advisor for the Field Epidemiology Training Program at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Tokyo and has served as the epidemiologist for communicable diseases at the Washington State Department of Health.

Patricia Kuszler, MD, JD, is the associate dean for faculty research and development in the University of Washington School of Law and is the Charles I. Stone Professor of Law. Prior to her career as an attorney, she practiced emergency medicine in New York and Connecticut.

Daniel Martin, PhD, is founding director of Cross River Connexions, which offers personal, organizational and social change through the Art of Dialogue. He has been director of an institute for global issues, a religious consultant to the UN, and a retreat leader in the field of ecology and spirituality/ethics.

Carl Osaki, RS, MSPH, is a clinical associate professor of environmental health. He managed a CDC training project, helping health departments integrate essential public health services into environmental health practice. He is a former director of environmental health at Public Health - Seattle & King County.

Jeremy Sappington, MSPH, lectures in the Department of Health Services on organizational management, and was a director of the Northwest Public Health Leadership Institute. Mr. Sappington has 40 years experience in public health education and organizational development. He has also taught at the School of Medicine, University of Missouri.

Melissa Schiff, MD, MPH, is an associate professor of epidemiology and a faculty member in the Maternal and Child Health Program and the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. Her current research focuses on injury during pregnancy, sports injury, and evaluation of trauma systems.

Jack Thompson, MSW, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Health Services and director of the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. His teaching interests include public health practice, organization and financing, workforce development, and health care systems.

Paul Wiesner, MD, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Services. He has had a diverse career at all levels of governmental public health (local, state and national), including the CDC and the DeKalb County (Georgia) Health Department.