San Joaquin County doctor earns national recognition

STOCKTON — Dr. Julie Vaishampayan of Stockton has been named a 2017 Tuberculosis Elimination Champion by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaishampayan is the tuberculosis controller for the county and an assistant health officer at San Joaquin County Public Health Services. She is also the 2016-17 president of the California TB Controllers Association, where she helps to guide and advocate for statewide tuberculosis prevention and control.

In those roles, Vaishampayan has been involved in several efforts to work toward eradicating TB in California. She advocated for the California TB Elimination Challenge Fund in 2016, developing materials for and meeting with key members of the California State Assembly.

“Dr. Vaishampayan has shown exceptional vision, leadership and passion for creating a California free of TB,” said Dr. Alvaro Garza, San Joaquin County Health Officer.

She also worked closely with the California Conference of Local Health Officers, whose advocacy arm, the Health Officers Association of California, formally endorsed the TB elimination funding advocacy effort.

Vaishampayan’s efforts

included identifying and reaching out to more than 20 of California’s federal representatives of jurisdictions with the largest TB burden to provide information about TB and how it is affecting their constituents.

As CTCA president, she has worked to promote the expansion of latent TB infection testing and treatment in California. By catching tuberculosis infections before patients begin showing symptoms, doctors can prevent the spread of the infection. It also saves lives, since tuberculosis can be dangerous once patients become symptomatic.

In 2016, Vaishampayan created a CTCA subcommittee to conduct outreach to private providers to educate and encourage expansion of latent TB testing and treatment.

A goal of that group is to develop and compile existing resources for private providers working with highrisk populations throughout the state.

As a member of the California TB Elimination Advisory Committee, Vaishampayan helped develop a draft TB elimination plan for the state. In 2016, she helped to finalize the plan, which has been disseminated statewide and nationally. She and the other members of the committee now monitor the plan’s implementation.

“(Dr. Vaishampayan’s) exemplary work consistently inspires her staff and her partners, as well as TB prevention and control professionals throughout the state,” Garza said. “She is a real champion for the health of the public. San Joaquin County is grateful for her past, ongoing, and future service.”