Member Spotlight - October, 2024

Sara Robeson
University of Kentucky (Part-time)

Introduction
Members may not be aware that they can still be involved with KPHA after they retire. Sara began her KPHA involvement early in her career by presenting at KPHA conferences. She continued her involvement by participating in committees and was elected to the KPHA board in 2021. During her retirement she has been active as a board member and values being able to stay involved with KPHA.

Professional Background
Sara Robeson is a graduate of Centre College and received her Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Kentucky. In 2022, she retired from the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) where she served as a senior epidemiologist concentrating on infectious disease, environmental and injury epidemiology. Sara served as the Acting Director of the Division of Epidemiology during the Hepatitis A and COVID-19 responses. At the same time, she was Principal Investigator for the Kentucky Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. She was also the KDPH liaison to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Kentucky for over 15 years. She valued the time she devoted to the Kentucky Advisory Council on Autism and the Kentucky Safety and Prevention Alignment Network. Sara is currently working part time for the University of Kentucky. She assists the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention (SCAHIP) with manuscript and grant preparation. She is also the Community Engagement Liaison for the Rapid Actionable Data for Opioid Response in Kentucky (RADOR-KY) program.

KPHA Involvement
Sara has been involved with KPHA for over 20 years. She was elected to the board of directors in 2021 and has participated primarily on the Conference, Awards and Scholarship, and Student Engagement Committees. She was a part of the team that developed the BECKY student poster awards for the KPHA Conference. She enjoys continuing to be a member of the awards committee where she gets to help acknowledge all the valuable work public health professionals are doing throughout the commonwealth.

Accomplishments and Recognition
In 2022, Sara received the KPHA Elbert “Al” Austin Career Achievement Award. In 2011, she was inducted into the UK chapter of Delta Omega, a public health honorary society

Personal Interests and Hobbies
Sara has enjoyed the extra time she now has to spend with her children and family. Her volunteer time with LIFE house for Animals in Frankfort has been very rewarding, and she tries attend as many University of Kentucky football and basketball games as possible.

Advice and Tips
The most valuable aspect of KPHA membership is the connection that you make with other KPHA members. It is a connection that will remain long into retirement.