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Betty Bekemeier
PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN

she, her
Photo of Betty Bekemeier

bettybek@uw.edu

https://www.nwcphp.org/

Accepting PhD Students

Professor

Director, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice

Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing

Profile
Betty is a nationall recognized public health systems researcher focused on examining and improving the effectiveness of our public health systems and workforce. She had a career in public health practice before becoming a researcher and is dedicated to producing evidence in collaboration with the practice community and to advance their efforts in health promotion and reducing inequities. Betty is also a national public health nursing leader, having served in significant national positions of public health and public health nursing leadership.
  • Research Interests: public health systems, public health workforce, public health nurses, prevention programs, health departments
  • Teaching Interests: social science research, health systems, community/public health
  • Service Interests: mentorship, policy & advocacy, recruitment/retention
  • Clinical Interests: public health services
  • Health Equity
Awards, Honors, & Badges
  • Inductee, 2023/09, Washington State Academy of Sciences

  • Public Health Leadership Award, 2019/10, Washington State Public Health Association

  • Marguerite Cobb Public Health/ Community Health Nurse Award , 2019/10, Washington State Nurses Association

  • 2018 Distinguished Researcher Award , 2018/10, University of Washington School of Nursing

  • Inducted Fellow, 2011/10, American Academy of Nursing 

  • Executive Director’s Citation for exemplary service , 2009/10, American Public Health Association

  • Award for Excellence in Promoting Diversity through Teaching , 2009/06, University of Washington School of Nursing

Journal Articles
  • Heitkemper, Elizabeth, Hulse, Scott, Bekemeier, Betty, Schultz, Melinda, Whitman, Greg, Turner, Anne . 2024. "The Solutions in Health Analytics for Rural Equity Across the Northwest (SHARE-NW) Dashboard for Health Equity in Rural Public Health: Usability Evaluation." JMIR human factors 11. e51666.
    https://doi.org/10.2196/51666
  • Petrovskis, Anna, Bekemeier, Betty, Heitkemper, Elizabeth, van Draanen, Jenna. 2023. "The DASH model: Data for addressing social determinants of health in local health departments." Nursing inquiry 30. e12518.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12518
  • Orr, Jason , Leider, Jonathon , Kuehnert, Paul, Bekemeier, Betty. 2023. "COVID-19 Revealed Shortcomings Of The US Public Health System And The Need To Strengthen Funding And Accountability." Health affairs (Project Hope) 42. 374-382.
    https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01234
  • Kett, Paula , Bekemeier, Betty, Patterson, Davis , Schaffer, Kay. 2023. "Competencies, Training Needs, and Turnover Among Rural Compared With Urban Local Public Health Practitioners: 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey." American journal of public health 113. 689-699.
    https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307273
  • Walker, Sarah Cuswort, Baquero, Barbara, Bekemeier, Betty, Parnes, McKenna, Arora, Kashika. 2023. "Strategies for enacting health policy codesign: a scoping review and direction for research." Implementation science : IS 18. 44.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01295-y
  • Dada, Oluwatosin , Bekemeier, Betty, Flaxman, Abraham, de Castro, A . 2022. "Associations Between Local Health Department Expenditures on Foundational Capabilities and PHAB Accreditation Standards Scores." Frontiers in public health 10. 861587.
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.861587
  • Kett, Paula , Bekemeier, Betty, Herting, Jerald , Altman, Molly . 2022. "Advancing health equity: Organizational characteristics emphasized by health department nurse lead executives." Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.) 39. 1308-1317.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13109
  • Kett, Paula , Bekemeier, Betty, Altman, Molly , Herting, Jerald . 2022. ""Not everybody approaches it that way": Nurse-trained health department directors' leadership strategies and skills in public health." Nursing inquiry 29. e12487.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12487
  • Lim, Sungwon, Pintye, Jillian, Seong, Hohyun, Bekemeier, Betty. 2022. "Estimating the Association Between Public Health Spending and Sexually Transmitted Disease Rates in the United States: A Systematic Review." Sexually transmitted diseases 49. 462-468.
    https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001627
  • Backonja, Uba, Park, Seungeun, Kurre, Amae, Yudelman, Hayley, Heindel, Sam, Schultz, Melinda, Whitman, Greg, Turner, Anne , Marchak, Natasza , Bekemeier, Betty. 2022. "Supporting rural public health practice to address local-level social determinants of health across Northwest states: Development of an interactive visualization dashboard." Journal of biomedical informatics 129. 104051.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2022.104051
  • McFadden, SarahAnn M, Sonney, Jennifer, Bekemeier, Betty. 2020. "A model for systems‐level influences on toddler immunization completion." Public Health Nursing 38. Wiley: 406-411.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/phn.12854
    https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12854
  • Yang, Youngran, Bekemeier, Betty, Choi, Jongsan. 2016. "A cultural and contextual analysis of health concepts and needs of women in a rural district of Nepal." Global Health Promotion 25. SAGE Publications: 15-22.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1757975916639869
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975916639869
  • Petrovskis, Anna, Bekemeier, Betty, van Draanen, Jenna, Heitkemper, Elizabeth. "Grouping Public Health Skills to Facilitate Workforce Development: A Factor Analysis of PH WINS." Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP 29. E79-E89.
    https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001613
  • Bekemeier, Betty, Heitkemper, Elizabeth, Zaichkin, Dana , Whitman, Greg, Singh, Simone , Leider, Jonathon . "A Uniform Chart of Accounts: Strengthening Public Health Practice and Research Through Standardized Financial Data." Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP 29. E69-E78.
    https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001691
  • Bekemeier, Betty, Heitkemper, Elizabeth, Backonja, Uba, Whitman, Gregory, Schultz, Melinda, Jiang, Yufei, Baquero, Barbara, Turner, Anne . "Rural Public Health Data Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case for Building Better Systems Ahead of a Public Health Crisis." Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP 29. 496-502.
    https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001726
  • Kett, Paula , Shahrir, Shahida, Bekemeier, Betty. "Public Health Nurses' Proficiencies and Training Needs in an Emergency Response: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study." Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP 30. 354-366.
    https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001888
  • Kulik, Phoebe K G, Leider, Jonathon , Rogers, Megan, Karnik, Harshada, Power, Laura , Schaffer, Kay, Bekemeier, Betty. "PH WINS for All: The Critical Role of Partnerships for Engaging All Local Health Departments in the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey." Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP 29. S48-S53.
    https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001635
Classes
  • HSERV 599: Capstone Project
  • HSERV 600: Independent Study or Research
  • NSG 553: Foundations of Health Systems and Health Economics
  • NURS 610: Teaching Practicum
Grants
  • SHARE-NW: Solutions in Health Analytics for Rural Equity across the Northwest, Office of Minority Health
  • Evaluation of the Youth-centered Environmental Shift (YES!) Program to reduce sexual violence in middle schools, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Building and Strengthening Epidemiology Laboratory and Health Information Systems Capacity in State and Local Health Departments, Washington State Department of Health
  • CDC Data Modernization Infrastructure (DMI) Project Tier 1, Washington State Department of Health
  • Best Practices for COVID-19 Health Equity: TA for OT21-2103 Recipients, National Network of Public Health Institutes
  • DOH Foundational Public Health Services, Washington State Department of Health
  • DOH State Injury Prevention Program Evaluaton, Washington State Department of Health
  • Staffing Up: Determining Public Health Workforce Ratios Needed to Serve the Nation -- Phase II, de Beaumont Foundation
  • Northwest Regional Public Health Training Center Program, Health Resources and Services Administration
  • Idaho DIS Training, University of Idaho
  • C-WORPH: Consortium for Workforce Research in Public Health, Regents of the University of Minnesota
  • Statewide Assessment/Epidemiology Workforce Development System, Washington State Department of Health
  • Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems Grant, National Network of Public Health Institutes
  • PHAB and Partners Supporting and Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce and Data Systems, Regents of the University of Minnesota
  • Washington Statewide Assessment & Epidemiology Community of Practice FPHS Funding Investment, Washington State Department of Health
  • Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems Grant, National Network of Public Health Institutes