NYMC Alumna Appointed to Public Health Director for Sullivan County
Jessie Moore, M.P.H. ’10, Dr.P.H. ’23, CHES, Shares Her Career Journey and New Role in Sullivan County
Jessie Moore, M.P.H. ’10, Dr.P.H. ’23, CHES, adjunct professor of public health, has been appointed director of public health for Sullivan County in New York. In this role, Dr. Moore is excited to apply her expertise to advance the quality of health and care in the county. “I look forward to seeing what’s already working, identifying our strengths, and staying open to new approaches that can contribute to better health and wellness for the community.”
Moore’s professional journey began as an outreach coordinator, educating the community about HIV/AIDS — a cause she has been deeply committed to since high school, where she first educated middle schoolers on the topic. She went on to spend nine years at Planned Parenthood, advancing from educator to senior director, overseeing outreach and education in four counties. She then became the physician liaison at Garnet Health in Orange County, New York, forming and maintaining partnerships with physicians, urgent care facilities, medical specialty groups, and other clinical groups, before starting her role as director of public health.
Dr. Moore seized the opportunity to focus more on teaching when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, shifting the focus to virtual learning. She teaches public health at five colleges and universities, including New York Medical College (NYMC) and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. “My experiences as a student at NYMC were so rewarding that I returned as a faculty member. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to experience the institution from a new perspective,” she shared. She finds support within the community at the College and appreciates being able to interact with students in the M.D./M.P.H. program, who bring a medical perspective to the classes.
When reflecting on her accomplishments, Dr. Moore takes the most pride in balancing her career with raising three children. She pursued her Dr.P.H. degree at NYMC after navigating the challenges of being diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a variant of preeclampsia, and delivering her third child three months premature. This experience inspired her dissertation, where she examined whether women who experienced pre-term births were more likely to seek high-efficacy contraception. “I thought that if someone gave birth at 26 weeks and their baby spent months in the hospital, they’d certainly want the highest level of birth control to avoid going through that again. In the end, my hypothesis was not proven to be correct, but I gained a lot of insight from it,” she stated. Her advisor, Kenneth A. Knapp, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Public Health in the School of Health Sciences and Practice, offered valuable advice: “You don’t have to be right, you just need to understand why you’re wrong.” Dr. Moore appreciated the fresh perspective and carries the advice with her in the classroom and now in her director role.
With more than 15 years of experience in public health, Dr. Moore is eager to meet the needs of Sullivan County, with a particular goal of leading the department toward national accreditation to enable greater collaboration with other local health departments, enhancing overall support across the region.
