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(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced his appointment of Dr. Joann Schaefer of Omaha as the state’s Chief Medical Officer and Director of Regulation and Licensure for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
“Doctor Schaefer’s experiences as deputy chief medical officer and as a family practitioner make her uniquely qualified to serve in these roles,” Gov. Heineman said. “I have great confidence that her knowledge of medicine, of public health and of Nebraska’s anti-terror efforts will serve us well.”
Dr. Schaefer was appointed to serve as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (HHSS) in July 2002, where she has worked to coordinate the state’s bioterrorism preparedness planning. She also has been involved in pandemic flu preparedness efforts and in addressing other public health issues, and served as chair of the Child Death Review Team.
Dr. Schaefer said, “I’m honored by the Governor’s faith in me and am looking forward to continuing to work with the medical community to advance Nebraska’s public health goals. I believe my strength is in being able to work well with physicians and public health practitioners, as well as with state agencies and the public.”
Dr. Schaefer, 38, has worked to address several health priorities, including the development of Nebraska’s smallpox vaccination plan that has received national attention for its effectiveness. She also worked to develop an accountability plan for the state’s Child Protective Services unit, which called for a review and a set of performance measures to be put in place to help evaluate how well caseworkers meet federal goals and the needs of children and their families.
She has practiced family medicine in Omaha since her graduation from Creighton University (CU) Medical School in 1995 and has served as an associate professor in the CU Department of Family Medicine until her recent resignation.
Board-certified in family practice, she has been honored by the American Medical Women’s Association for her contributions to medicine and has served as an advocate on domestic violence prevention issues. She was honored by the Nebraska Medical Association as Physician of the Year in 2004.
She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, the Metro Omaha Medical Society, and the Nebraska Medical Association.
Dr. Schaefer’s salary has been set at $126,800.
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