NJSOPHE

Kaitlin Cartoccio, MPH, CHES

kcartoccio @ bernards.org

NJSOPHE history: Kaitlin has served as the Chapter Delegate, Students and New Professionals Chair, Program Chair, and Continuing Education Chair.

Bio: Kaitlin began her Public Health career at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. There she focused on youth outreach and HIV/AIDS education during her fieldwork, as well as a semester long internship at the Risk Communication Lab at Temple University. After graduating with her BS in Public Health and successfully completing the CHES exam, she moved back to New Jersey to work at the Bernards Township Health Department as the Community Programs Coordinator – Health Educator and Municipal Alliance Grant Coordinator. During this time she joined NJSOPHE for networking purposes as she re-entered New Jersey.

She also completed her Master of Public Health degree at Rutgers University in Health Education and Behavioral Sciences. While at Rutgers she participated in the Dominican Republic Outreach project and traveled there to provide public health services to the Dominican and Haitian populations. Her master’s degree fieldwork was completed at the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies and involved the completion of drug and alcohol educational literature for the LGBTQ population.

All of this was completed while working full time at the health department coordinating substance abuse education programs, running meetings for the Municipal Alliance, advising Ridge Against Alcohol & Drugs (RAAD) youth leadership group, and serving as the Emergency Management liaison for the six towns the Bernards Township Health Department serves in two counties. This year Kaitlin has made the push for mental health resources to be de-stigmatized and more readily available for residents and organized the first Mental Health Resource fair in Bernards Township and will be training to be a Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor in the winter of 2017. Kaitlin plans to re-certify for her MCHES and other licenses in 2018.