MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SPRING 2004 ...

Dr. Sfakianaki to Chair Commitee of National Group
Dr. Eleni Sfakianaki, Medical Executive Director of
the Miami-Dade County Health Department (MDCHD),
was recently appointed chair of the National
Association of County and City Health Officials'
(NACCHO) Community Health and
Prevention Advisory Committee.
NACCHO is a national nonprofit
organization representing local public
health agencies. NACCHO provides
education, information, research, and Dr. Sfakianaki
technical assistance to local health
departments and facilitates partnerships among local,
state, and federal agencies in order to promote and
strengthen public health.
NACCHO's Community Health and Prevention
Advisory Committee's mission is to advocate for and
facilitate the implementation of innovative and comprehensive
community health and prevention policies and
practices on the national and local level.
"I believe NACCHO appointed me to chair this committee
because of my background and experience in
public health and community health," said Dr. Sfakianaki.
Dr. Sfakianaki has been with the MDCHD for 14 years.
In addition to her work at the MDCHD, she was recently
appointed to the Advisory Board of the Anne E. Dyson
Community Pediatrics Training Initiative at the University
of Miami School of Medicine, a program that prepares
pediatricians in the area of population-based health and
public health. Dr. Sfakianaki also teaches graduate
courses in public health at the University of Miami.
Mort Laitner Inspires FIU Students With a Lecture
Mort Laitner, MDCHD's Chief
Legal Counsel has something to
share and he did it recently in the
best possible way: lecturing an audience
of students that are still determining
their career goals.
Laitner was recently invited to lecture
at FIU by professor William
Brookman, who also works as an
Environmental Health Supervisor at
Monroe County Health Department.
"I explained to them the basics
and importance of the legal aspects
of public health and they were very
receptive about it," said Laitner, who
had the time to highlight a field exercise
conducted last year by the
MDCHD and other local institutions
to prepare the community in coping
with a possible outbreak of biological
agents.
Laitner also told the students
about the different programs within
our Department and their efforts to
have a healthy community in Miami-
Dade County.
After the lecture, professor
Brookman wrote an e-mail saying:
“Mort, I wanted to thank you very
much on behalf of the students. You
made quite an impression on them.
Most are still determining their
career goals and you made the legal
aspects of public health come alive."
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HealthBeat
Mort Laitner played a key role in organizing the
Smallpox Field Exercise that took place last
October.