Coastal Health District Health Director Diane Weems, M.D., middle, discusses the BREASTest and More program with Cathy Schmid, RN, Chatham County Health Department nurse manager, and Nancy Welcher, RN, Breast and Cervical Cancer Program coordinator for Chatham County.

When she was finishing up her pediatric medical residency in the summer of 1985, Diane Weems, M.D., hadn't given public health a single thought as a career choice. Private practice was her goal, what she always thought she'd do.

 

But that changed when she moved to Valdosta in 1986 and met then district health director Lynne Feldman, M.D.

 

"I didn't know anything about public health when she hired me as a clinician and I fell in love with it," she said. "Dr. Feldman was a wonderful role model and her passion for public health is what inspired my entire career."

 

Now, close to 30 years later, it's her passion for public health that will guide Weems as she takes the helm of the Coastal Health District as district health director. Weems will replace W. Douglas Skelton, M.D., who retired in the summer of 2012 after a long and distinguished career in public health that included merging two districts along Georgia's coast to form Coastal Health District 9-1.

 

"I don't think it's possible to fill Dr. Skelton's shoes but I hope to provide the leadership the district needs to move forward," said Weems. "I want to continue to build on his successes and the strong foundation he created in the eight-county district."

 

Although Weems began her public health career at the Lowndes County Health Department in Valdosta, she has been part of the coastal public health community since 1988 when she relocated to Savannah to become the clinical physician for the Chatham County Health Department. In 1993 she was named chief medical officer for the Chatham County Health Department and for the past eight years has worked in that same capacity for the entire district which includes Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh counties. Weems has served as interim health director for the district on three separate occasions.

 

"The unanimous vote to approve Dr. Weems as the permanent district health director is a win for public health, a win for everyone in the Coastal Health District and a win for all of Georgia," said DPH Commissioner Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald. "Dr. Weems knows firsthand the challenges in southeast Georgia and is prepared with the right credentials to absolutely meet those challenges."

 

Weems said she is excited about the prospects of not only leading the district but also contributing to the achievements of the Georgia Department of Public Health.

 

"This is a wonderful chance to step into a leadership role within a department of public health that is still in its infancy and I see so many opportunities there," she said. "It's an honor and a privilege to be chosen to lead public health initiatives in southeast Georgia. I look forward to continuing to work with our staff, community leaders, and public health advocates to help improve the lives of those living along our coast and throughout our state."

 

-Story by Sally Silbermann, Risk Communicator/Public Information Officer, Coastal Health District 9-1