August 2013 VSTH Meeting Speakers

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Speakers' Biographies

Lieutenant Commander Ashleigh L. May, PhD

Epidemiologist, Obesity Prevention and Control Branch, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC

Lieutenant Commander Ashleigh May, PhD, is an epidemiologist in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) at the CDC. Her research agenda focuses broadly on childhood obesity prevention and policy and environmental approaches to prevent childhood obesity and reduce health disparities.

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Lonias Gilmore, MPH

Public Health Consultant, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Training Coordinator, Cardiovascular Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Section, Michigan Department of Community Health

Lonias Gilmore is a public health consultant at the Michigan Department of Community Health. Her primary role is as training coordinator—providing leadership and support to the obesity-prevention program training activities; researching training opportunities for the team and for partners to keep current in techniques and information; providing consultation and technical assistance to coalitions, workgroups, statewide partners, and community organizations on childhood obesity prevention; and facilitating workgroup and training sessions for state health department staff and external partners. Gilmore received a master’s degree in public health from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a BS degree in biology from Langston University in Oklahoma.

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Loretta A. Santilli, MPH

Director, Division of Nutrition, New York State Department of Health

Loretta Santilli has nearly 20 years of experience providing oversight and management of various public health programs within the New York State Department of Health. As director of the Division of Nutrition, Ms. Santilli provides oversight to budgeted programs, including the Women, Infants and Children Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the state’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program. She leads more than 300 staff statewide to fulfill the Division of Nutrition’s mission to create an environment that empowers New Yorkers to make healthy eating and physical activity choices.

Prior to joining the Division of Nutrition, Ms. Santilli was the director of the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS). She worked in public health emergency preparedness, including pandemic influenza planning and response, and as a manager with the New York State Cancer Registry. She started her career in injury prevention.

Ms. Santilli received a masters of public health in epidemiology from the University at Albany School of Public Health and an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Rochester.

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