We are thrilled to announce the addition of six esteemed public health professionals to the editorial board of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. These individuals bring a wealth of expertise, leadership, and diverse perspectives that will enhance our mission of advancing public health research and practice.
Meet Our New Editorial Board Members:
Before beginning her academic career, she spent eight years working with the Marion County Public Health Department in Indianapolis, IN, seven of which were spent in the tobacco control program. Her research involves assessing how policies and systems-level strategies influence organizational practices to improve scalable, sustainable implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as tobacco dependence treatment, within and across healthcare settings.
Her current work leverages her training as a health services researcher and background in tobacco control to support efforts to train and assist pharmacists in integrating tobacco cessation services (including prescribing) into practice. Dr. Hilts is particularly interested in how expanded access to these services in pharmacy settings can help address gaps in care among traditionally underserved groups, such as rural populations. Additional areas of interest include cancer prevention and control, lung cancer screening, and community and practiced-based participatory research models.
In her current role at Gillings, Dr. Stephens is launching a new initiative around dental public health teaching, practice and research. She seeks to translate her clinical and administrative experience into teaching and other support to ensure current and future multidisciplinary workforces recognize and promote oral health as a matter of overall health and public health. She also directs the Division of Public Health’s accredited dental public health residency program to train future dental public health specialists. Dr. Stephens is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, National Dental Association, American Dental Association and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.
Outside of dental public health, she loves all types of food, outdoor festivals, action sci-fi movies, and her Westie, Sasha.
Dr. Welter co-leads multiple transformational practice and applied research projects including but not limited to the Learning Agenda for Systems Change (www.publichealthlearningagenda.org) as well as a nearly decade-long initiative with health department and worker rights and safety partners to facilitate healthy and just work. Dr. Welter is also the co-editor and co-author to Leading Systems Change in Public Health: A Field Guide for Practitioners and two book chapters in Building Strategic Skills for Better Health. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Health in Oak Park, Illinois; the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) representative to the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) Advisory Council; and an at-large NALBOH board member. Dr. Welter also serves as a member of Public Health for Community Power Coalition with Human Impact Partners. Prior to coming to UIC, Dr. Welter served as the Deputy Director at the Cook County Department of Public Health where she catalyzed the establishment of several ongoing and award-winning leadership collaboratives focused on policy, systems, and environmental change equity-initiatives.
She previously served on several national initiatives including Project Public Health Ready, PHAB’s first standard and measures workgroup, the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships 2.0 Steering Committee, and as a technical assistance provider with the National Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development Center. Dr. Welter received a Doctorate in Public Health Leadership from UIC SPH and master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan in Health Education and Health Behavior.
She is passionate about environmental health education and has published on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental health workforce. As co-editor of Environmental Health: Foundations for Public Health, she led the development of a pioneering textbook that reimagines environmental health education by centering climate change, environmental justice, and community narratives from across the U.S. The book uniquely bridges activist and academic perspectives, amplifying diverse voices and lived experiences alongside a scientific foundation to create a more inclusive and justice-focused framework.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Tallon held leadership positions at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, where she oversaw medical marijuana policy, statewide emergency preparedness programs, and workforce training initiatives. She earned her PhD in Population Health from Northeastern University, specializing in environmental and social determinants of health.
She is currently a Clinical Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health where she directs the National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center and the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center through cooperative agreements with the Health Resources Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. She was also recently awarded a cooperative agreement through USDA Food and Nutrition Services to implement an evidence-based research center in collaboration with local and state WIC sites to identify best practices to address maternal urgent warning signs. She provides training and technical assistance on behalf of the Strengthen the Evidence for MCH Programs initiative (funded by a cooperative agreement with HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau), as well as serves as an implementation coach for the Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health project in North Carolina.
She has served as Principal Investigator for more than 40 contracts and grants totaling more than 58 million, ranging from training grants to public health systems research awards. She has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, and was lead editor for the Practical Playbook III: Working Together to Improve Maternal Health. In her previous role as Deputy Director of the NC Institute for Public Health, she led the NC Public Health Practice-Based Research Network which brought together practitioners and researchers to study areas of public health systems and services. Prior to her work at UNC, she served as Local Health Director of Alamance and Chatham counties in North Carolina and while on faculty at UNC, she served as Interim Health Director for the Orange County Health Department and Interim Public Health Division Director for Wake County Human Services. Her state level public health experience included her role as the Deputy Director of the NC Division of Public Health and the state Title V program.
These outstanding leaders will play a vital role in shaping the direction of the journal by providing expert guidance on critical public health topics, mentoring authors, and ensuring the quality of our published content.
Please join us in welcoming these exceptional individuals to the JPHMP community. We look forward to the insights and innovations they will bring to the journal.
About the Author
- Sheryl Monks is the managing editor of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. She is passionate about connecting public health professionals to the insights and resources they need to improve community health.
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