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Three Burning Questions – Greta Anschuetz, New Jersey
We are pleased to welcome Greta as the new Chair of the NCSD Board of Directors! Get to know your Board Chair below.
About Greta
Greta is currently the Director, STD Services for the New Jersey Department of Health. She began her career in Philadelphia in 2006 as the STD Control Program Epidemiologist. In Philadelphia she oversaw both the Surveillance Unit, the High School STD Screening Program, and expanded collaboration with the HIV program, led the migration of surveillance system to a new platform, and drove program advancements through data analysis. In 2018, Greta assumed her new role, heading up STD Services for the state of New Jersey. She has been an invaluable NCSD member, serving as the chair of the Program Committee and on our Board of Directors, and is a true leader in the STD field.
What do you love most about working in STD prevention?
Greta Anschuetz
Those people working in our field are some of the best, most dedicated people I have ever known. Many of us in the STD field, work above and beyond, giving 110% to our communities because we love public health and STDs that much. I think it makes us better people overall as we have more compassion for people and it makes us realize how much good we can do if we had more resources. I also love the stories…you cannot make most of this up!
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing our field?
I can think of so many (funding, competing priorities, modernization, etc.), but I feel being able to find, train and retain DIS staff is one of the biggest challenges. Finding and training DIS staff is very hard and it is with regret to see them grow and move on and start again the process again…but also very rewarding to think of the people who have come and gone and knowing that working in STD Prevention and the skills they learned will stay with them forever!
Greta takes the stage at STD Engage 2018
When you’re not working, what’s your favorite thing to do with your free time?
I love to travel, knit, practice German, but if I had to pick one…genealogy. I got bit by the bug when I was in my early 20s helping my dad clean his office and found an old photo album. Dad didn’t know most of the people, but luckily, my Great Aunts, Ethel and Rhea, did! Preserving our family history and making sure we know who are in the old photos takes a lot of time and organization…thank God for the investigative skills that I have picked up from our amazing DIS staff which have been invaluable to unlocking many of my family stories!