Meet Dennis Worsham
Dennis Worsham became the first Director for the Snohomish County Health Department in January 2023. Mr. Worsham has over 29 years of experience in the Washington State Public Health System. He fell in love with the mission of public health when he began his public health career at the Snohomish Health District in the 1990's through early 2000. Prior to returning to Snohomish County, he served as the interim Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Mr. Worsham has experience in public health, policy development and advocacy. He previously served as the Deputy Secretary for Health at the Washington State Department of Health, and various positions at Public Health – Seattle & King County including Deputy Director, Chief of Policy, Community Partnerships, and Communications, Regional Health Officer, and TB Control Program manager. He was also the HIV/STD/Hepatitis Program manager at Snohomish Health District, where he was a health educator, as well, for several years.
He has had roles on public health committees and commissions, including as a committee member with Leadership Tomorrow, as President and Vice-President of the Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA), a Chair and member of the Washington State Public Health Roundtable, and a longtime member of the Washington State Foundational Public Health Services committee - among many appointments and taskforces.
Strengths in our Community with Dennis Worsham
Dennis Worsham, Director, Snohomish County Health Department
Public health, like all of us, learned from our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most important lessons were about the health and equity challenges people experience in Snohomish County. As the needs in our community deepen and resources are often unstable, how do we balance our approaches and look at assets vs. problems in our communities? How do we place real value on the importance of protective factors? We are in a unique time of regrouping and re-building, while also acknowledging how the pandemic altered the public health landscape. We work to strengthen the health of our communities and we know our communities are where most of our strengths live. To realize many of the goals of public health, we need curiosity, we need a variety of perspectives, and we need tailored approaches that build connections and foster collaboration. Public health is all of us.
In this presentation, Director Worsham will share some local areas of focus and related actions that are necessary to move public health efforts forward in Snohomish County. He will also introduce the afternoon Discussion Lightning Rounds, where participants will have the opportunity to continue the conversation across a variety of topics and sectors, discovering the strengths of our community together.