DOH brings on four regional medical officers and public health veterinarian

Update as of 7/16/2024

Dr. Person and Dr. Miller have moved on from their positions as the regional medical offers for regions 1 and 3, respectively. Dr. Megan Guffey, MD, MPH, FAAFP has replaced Dr. Lutz for region 2.

The Office of Health and Science at the state Department of Health is excited to share the news that we have hired a state Public Health Veterinarian and four regional medical officers. The new regional medical officer positions will help those of us in public health strengthen collaborations and position DOH to better serve your needs.

We’d like to introduce the amazing staff joining the new Division of Medical and Veterinary Science led by Dr. Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH. (in alphabetical order):

Dr. Herbie Duber will be our regional medical officer for Region 4, Northwest Waterway beginning October 1. Dr. Duber comes to DOH from the University of Washington, where he is an associate professor and head of the Section of Population Health in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. He works in the Emergency Department at the UW and Harborview Medical Centers in Seattle. He chairs the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Public Health and Injury Prevention Committee and is president-elect of the Washington chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Beth Lipton joins DOH as our new Public Health Veterinarian, bringing 15 years of experience in local public health and seven years of experience in clinical veterinary practice. Her passion for OneHealth — the concept of integrating animal, human, and environmental health when addressing emerging diseases and other issues — led her to pursue a career in public health. For the past eight years, Dr. Lipton has served as a Public Health Veterinarian at Public Health – Seattle & King County. She has been involved in zoonotic and vectorborne disease prevention and outbreak response, oversight of regulatory programs and Board of Health codes pertaining to zoonotic disease, and climate change and bioterrorism planning.

Dr. Bob Lutz, MD, MPH, continues his tenure with DOH in a new role as a regional medical officer for Region 2, Eastern Plains effective August 1. Dr. Lutz is a family medicine physician with more than 30 years of urgent care experience that includes serving as the medical director of the Rockwood Urgent Care Division in Spokane. He has adjunct faculty positions with the UW School of Medicine and WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. As a U.S. Naval officer, he was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps, First Marine Corps Division. Dr. Lutz served in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal. He served on the Spokane Regional Health District’s Board of Health until being appointed as the Health Officer for Spokane County from 2017 to 2020, then came to DOH to serve as COVID-19 medical advisor.

Dr. James (“Jay”) S. Miller, MD, MPH recently finished his CDC EISO Fellowship at DOH and rejoins us as a regional medical officer for Region 3, South Gorge beginning September 1. He completed his internal medical residency and global medicine fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, during which he worked on the evaluation of community health worker programs in Uganda; with the Maniilaq Association in Alaska on primary care-behavioral health integration; and with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless on their COVID-19 response. At DOH he worked on COVID-19 outbreaks among farmworkers, Hispanic communities, incarcerated people, and people experiencing homelessness; he also has worked on TB outbreak response as well as on monkeypox.

Dr. Amy Person comes to DOH as regional medical officer for Region 1, Central Corridor beginning September 1. She spent 18 years in clinical and academic pediatrics working to meet the needs of underserved children and families in Milwaukee before relocating to the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Person’s journey helping families achieve their highest level of health led to her career in public health. Since 2011, she served as local health officer for Benton-Franklin Health District and additionally for Klickitat County Public Health since 2019. Throughout her varied career paths, Dr. Person has maintained her steadfast commitment to respecting diverse perspectives and amplifying silenced voices.