Virgin Islands (October 4, 2021) — The Virgin Islands Department of Health is pleased to announce that Commissioner Justa Encarnacion has been elected to serve as the Atlantic Territorial Director for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Earlier this year, newly inducted members of the Board of Directors were selected. Among this esteemed group was Commissioner Encarnacion.

The Board of Directors is comprised of the officers of the Association (president, president-elect, immediate past president, past president, and secretary-treasurer), ten regional directors, two territorial directors, the chairs of the Senior Deputies Committee and Affiliate Council, and one Alumni Society representative.

ASTHO is a national non-profit organization representing public health agencies in the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, and the over 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, formulate and influence sound public health policy and ensure excellence in state based public health practice. The Board of ASTHO’s primary function is to track, evaluate, and advise members on the impact and formation of public or private health policy which may affect them and to provide them with guidance and technical assistance on improving the nation’s health.

“I am honored to serve on the board of ASTHO during such a critical yet influential time for public health,” said Encarnacion. Commissioner Encarnacion has been an ASHTO member since assuming her positions in 2019. “It is a rare and distinct honor to be asked to become a member of the ASHTO board. I subscribe to ASTHO’s vision that speaks to ‘advancing health equity and optimal health for all.’ Being on the board affords me the ability to more strategically advocate for the U.S. Virgin Islands and the other territories represented,” she added.