Ashley Burger
School Safety Intelligence Officer, Statewide Terrorism & Intelligence Center
Ashley is the School Safety Intelligence Officer at the Statewide Terrorism & Intelligence Center (STIC) within the Illinois State Police and has served this role for almost two years. Prior to this position, Ashley served as an Advocate/Forensic Interviewer at the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center.
Nicole Gastala
Medical Director, Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Division of IDHS
Dr. Gastala is board certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She graduated from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Iowa. In her clinical role, she has developed and expanded MAR by mentoring new prescribers, precepting residents, and training clinicians within the Chicago and Illinois communities. She has also focused on the development of a walk-in integrated behavioral health, addiction, and primary care program within her FQHC system at UI Health Mile Square Health Center. In January 2021, Dr Gastala joined the team at the Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Division of IDHS as the Medical Director.
Jennifer Hammonds, LCSW
Clinical Instructor, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Residency Program and Primary Mental Health Provider, SIU Care-A-Van
Jennifer is a Clinical Instructor for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Carbondale and the primary mental health provider for their mobile school- based health center, the SIU Care-A-Van. As a practicing clinical social worker for twenty years, she has specialized in child and adolescent mental health and is a strong advocate for school- based health care.
Sheila Harmon
Director of Provider Practice, University of Illinois Mile Square Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhoods Health Partnerships (OCEAN-HP) School-Based Health Centers
Sheila A. Harmon has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist for over 13 years. She is an Advanced Practice Nurse- Clinical Nurse Specialist. She is currently the Director of Provider Practice at the University of Illinois Mile Square Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhoods Health Partnerships (OCEAN-HP) School-Based Health Centers. Mrs. Harmon is also a Lifestyle Coach for Diabetes Prevention. In addition to Mrs. Harmon’s professional accomplishments, she is an ordained Minister.
Mrs. Harmon is currently a Community Board Member for the Chicago Chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). In addition, she is a Community Health Educator (CHE) for Sister’s Working It Out (SWIO), a Cancer Awareness and Health Advocacy Non-profit organization dedicated to serving African Americans and other minority women in medically underserved communities in the South and West Sides of Chicago.
Mrs. Harmon received her Bachelor’s (BSN) degree in Nursing from Chicago State University in 1988, Master’s (MSN) in Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in 2007 and as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in 2013 from Governor’s State University. She is currently in the UIC College of Nursing, Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program graduating in December 2022. Mrs. Harmon travels throughout the city of Chicago and other cities in the United States, providing Diabetes Education to help EMPOWER people with the knowledge to know how to Prevent, Control, and Slow the progression of the disease. Her motto is:
“Take Control of Diabetes, Before It Takes Control of You-You are EMPOWERED.”
Mrs. Harmon is featured in the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) Language in Use Video. (3-minute mark)
Judy Kauerauf
Communicable Disease Section Chief, IDPH
Judy Kauerauf began her public health career in 1988 as an infectious disease investigator for the Will County Health Department in Joliet, Illinois. She joined the Illinois Department of Public Health in 1990 as an HIV/AIDS surveillance specialist. In 1994, Ms. Kauerauf began working in HIV/AIDS prevention, ending her tenure with the HIV/AIDS Section as the state’s prevention administrator in 2001.
Ms. Kauerauf returned to state health department in 2002 to direct the department’s implementation of its electronic disease surveillance system and served as the Data and Informatics Manager for the Office of Health Protection. In May 2016, Ms. Kauerauf assumed the acting role as the Communicable Disease Control Section Chief in May of this year, and was officially hired into that role on October 17, 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Kauerauf lead the agency’s response for surveillance, outbreak response and mitigation operations.
Ms. Kauerauf holds a Bachelor’s degree in Community Health from Northern Illinois University and a Masters’ of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Sally Lemke DNP, WHNP-BC
Director of Community Based Practices, Rush University Medical Center
Sally Lemke is the Director of Community Based Practices for Rush University Medical Center, a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, and an Instructor in the Rush University College of Nursing. She received her BSW at Central Michigan University in 1985, her RN and MSN at the University of California, San Francisco in 1995, and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice at Rush University in 2015.
She currently manages five School-Based Health Centers and the Adolescent Family Center, a reproductive/sexual health center for adolescents at Rush. All six health centers are funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health’s School Health Centers and Family Planning Programs. Dr. Lemke is responsible for the oversight of all clinical functioning, staff supervision, quality assurance and improvement, and Rush University student learning in these centers.
Dr. Lemke’s work is housed in the Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement, where she is involved in Rush’s community-based health equity initiatives. She has provided primary and reproductive care to for over 20 years, primarily in community-based settings and has serves on various committees that address health and health equity.
Chris Morrow
Regional Immunization Coordinator, IDPH
Originally from the Peoria area, Chris has a Bachelor’s Degree in Management with a minor in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He began his State career in Springfield in 1999 and worked in Information Technology/Data Management the first 13 years. He joined the Illinois Department of Public Health on April 1, 2009 (it was not an April Fool’s joke!) as the HIV/AIDS Prevention Program’s Data Manager. Starting July 1, 2013, Chris joined the Immunization Program as a Regional Immunization Coordinator overseeing suburban Cook County. He then became the Regional Immunization Coordinator for the Peoria Region on August 16, 2016 and moved back to Peoria where most of his family is located. Chris enjoys the challenges of his role as a Vaccines for Children Compliance Specialist, an Immunization Coverage Level mentor, and a reviewer of school immunization records for the Peoria Region.
Miranda Scott
School Health Program Administrator, IDPH
Miranda Scott received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts in Legal Studies, and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Ms. Scott has held various roles in the nursing clinical arena including student mentor, manager, and educator. She joined the Office of Women’s of Health and Family Services team at the Illinois Department of Public Health in June 2015. In September 2021, Ms. Scott transitioned to her new role as School Health Program Administrator. In her previous government service, Ms. Scott has worked as a Legal Nurse Consultant enjoying various advisory roles including Freedom of Information Officer and HIPAA Privacy Officer.
Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA
Director, IDPH
Dr. Vohra is a general pediatrician who holds degrees in law and public policy. He is a cross-disciplinary leader in state and national health policy formulation, and his recent focus has been on improving health outcomes in Central and Southern Illinois. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Vohra was the Founding Chair of the Department of Population Science and Policy, a practicing primary care pediatrician, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law at the Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine (SIU-SOM) in Springfield, Illinois, where he also served the State of Illinois as the Interim Chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership.
A graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts in public policy, Dr. Vohra completed his medical residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago. He holds a medical doctorate from SIU-SOM; a juris doctorate from SIU School of Law graduating first in his class; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and science in human culture with honors from Northwestern University.
Dr. Vohra previously served on the Illinois State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee as well as national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Medical Association, and on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society.
He has received numerous honors including a United States Fulbright Scholarship in 2009, an American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award in 2014 and was named an Edgar Fellow in 2016 as one of 40 emerging political and policy leaders in Illinois. In 2020, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, chosen by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation.
Dr. Vohra resides in Springfield with his wife, Tasnim, and two children.