TTUHSC’s Garner Named Public Health Champion
The Texas Association of City and County Health Officials (TACCHO) named Christine Garner, Ph.D., as their first Public Health Champion. Garner is an assistant vice president for research at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), an associate professor for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the School of Medicine in Amarillo and a researcher in the InfantRisk Center.
TACCHO’s Public Health Champion Award recognizes an outstanding advocate who demonstrates continuous leadership in promoting the mission of public health. Amarillo Public Health Director Casie Stoughton nominated Garner for her leadership in the VIBRANT MOMS project.
“Dr. Garner has championed a comprehensive, community-centered approach to maternal health,” Stoughton wrote. “Under her leadership, the initiative has expanded partnerships among healthcare providers, public health agencies and community-based organizations, creating a stronger, more connected network of support for women throughout pregnancy and early childhood.”
VIBRANT MOMS is a collaboration between TTUHSC and community partners. The goal is to reduce preeclampsia rates and improve maternal health outcomes in the Texas Panhandle through prevention, education and awareness. Efforts are focused on Deaf Smith, Gray, Parmer, Potter, Randall and Swisher counties.
“We have a really great coalition of organizations who care about and are working together to improve maternal health,” Garner said. “We each bring different perspectives and skill sets, and it really creates a complete picture for developing strategies that work and can be sustained in the long run. Working together on this project opens up a lot of doors to identify more ways we can continue our work together in the future and make a difference in our communities.”