for immediate release

Contact: Candice Douglass
(206) 221-8429
(425) 214-2704 (cell)
candiced@u.washington.edu

Dr. Butch de Castro Selected for King County Board of Health

Monday, April 22, 2019  Seattle—King County Board of Health selected School of Nursing Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Butch de Castro, PhD, MSN/MPH, RN, FAAN, to join the Board of Health. The board is made up of three health professionals and eight elected officials. de Castro will serve a three-year term.

“Dr. de Castro is a fantastic addition to the Board of Health. I am grateful for his desire to serve and look forward to the perspective he brings from a long career in nursing and academia,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Chair of the King County Board of Health.  “I am confident that he will bring a fresh set of eyes to our often complicated yet important policy deliberations, dialogue, and collaborative process.”

de Castro studies health disparities, with a focus on how employment and work conditions contribute to chronic stress and workplace injury or illness. He also serves as Director of the Occupational Health Nursing Program with the UW’s Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety. Before coming to UW, he worked at the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in their Office of Occupational Health Nursing, as well as at the American Nurses Association.

“Butch has been a strong leader in health equity at the School of Nursing. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about occupational health and health disparities. His perspective and nursing experience will be a valuable addition to the board,” stated Azita Emami, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN, FAAN, and the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid Executive Dean of the UW School of Nursing.

The King County Board of Health sets county-wide public health policy, enacts and enforces local public health regulations, and carries out other duties of local boards of health specified in state law. These duties include enforcing state public health statutes, preventing and controlling the spread of infectious disease, abating nuisances, and establishing fee schedules for licenses, permits and other services.

About the School of Nursing

Celebrating 100 years in nursing education and research, the University of Washington’s School of Nursing is consistently a top-ranked nursing school, according to U.S. News & World Report. Ranked No. 3 in research

funding from the National Institutes of Health, the UW School of Nursing is a national and international leader in improving the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities. The school addresses society’s most pressing challenges in health care through innovative teaching, award winning research and community service. For more information, visit www.nursing.uw.edu.

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