The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors will present Julie Vaishampayan, MD, MPH, with a special Board recognition for her recent work in promoting TB elimination in California. Dr. Vaishampayan was also named by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a 2017 Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination Champion. She currently serves as the TB Controller and Assistant Health Officer for San Joaquin County Public Health Services.
Dr. Vaishampayan’s work to eliminate TB is impressive. She is the 2016-2017 President of the California TB Controllers Association (CTCA), where she provides leadership and advocacy on behalf of statewide TB prevention and control. She has been involved in numerous efforts to advance TB elimination in California. She advocated for the California TB Elimination Challenge Fund in 2016, developing materials for, and meeting with, key members of the California State Assembly. She worked closely with the California Conference of Local Health Officers, whose advocacy arm, the Health Officers Association of California, formally endorsed the TB elimination funding advocacy effort that she led. Dr. Vaishampayan’s efforts included identifying and reaching out to more than 20 of California’s federal representatives of jurisdictions with the largest TB burden to provide information about TB and how it is affecting their constituents.
As CTCA President, she participated in activities to promote the expansion of latent TB infection (LTBI) testing and treatment in California. In 2016, Dr. Vaishampayan created a CTCA subcommittee to conduct outreach to private providers to educate and encourage expansion of LTBI testing and treatment. A goal of that group is to develop and compile existing resources for private providers working with high-risk populations throughout the state.
Dr. Vaishampayan is also a member of the California TB Elimination Advisory Committee (CTEAC). There, she helped develop a draft TB elimination plan for the State of California. In 2016, she was instrumental in finalizing the plan that has been disseminated statewide and nationally. She continues, as a member of CTEAC, to monitor the implementation of the California Tuberculosis Elimination Plan 2016-2020.
“Dr. Vaishampayan has shown exceptional vision, leadership, and passion for creating a California free of TB,” said Dr Alvaro Garza, Health Officer. “Her exemplary work consistently inspires her staff and her partners, as well as TB prevention and control professionals throughout the state. She is a real champion for the health of the public. San Joaquin County is grateful for her past, ongoing, and future service.”