Linda S Duchak

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center (MAR-PHTC) is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to address the training needs of the current and future public health workforces in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. My first position at the University of Pittsburgh was as manager of MAR-PHTC. Currently, as the Director of Training Development, I oversee the selection of training topics and modalities according to the identified needs and interests of our target audience, engage content experts, and assure conformance of our training products to best practices. I am a Master Certified Health Education Specialist and maintain memberships in the Association for Talent Development and The Learning Guild.

Previously, I was the founding Executive Director of Tobacco Free Allegheny, a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the Allegheny County Health Department. In this capacity, I managed a multi-million dollar budget, designed and implemented a county-wide community-based comprehensive tobacco control program, and led the efforts to create policy allowing the Allegheny County Health Department to enforce youth access restrictions to tobacco. Subsequently, I joined UPMC Health Plan to lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Tobacco Dependence Initiative in the newly formed Health Promotion Department. Of particular note was my effort to successfully implement a tobacco-free campus policy for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.