Two statewide awards were given to Tamara Lewis, new chair of the Romney Institute Advisory Board, in recognition of her efforts to improve Utahns’ health. Lewis was named a 2006 Health Care Hero by Utah Business magazine and also received a 2006 Public Health Hero Award from the Utah Public Health Association.
As advisory board chair, Lewis provides direction to the department and is available to mentor students. “Once I got out into the community managing nonprofit programs, I discovered the great preparation the MPA program provided,” she says. “At the same time, I found that you never stop learning on the job. I enjoy working with the Romney Institute because I can share the new things I am learning.”
After earning her undergraduate degree from BYU and a medical degree from the University of Utah, Lewis pursued her MPA at the Marriott School. Upon completion, she earned a master’s degree in public health from the Medical College of Wisconsin. The combination of her degrees uniquely qualifies her for wide-reaching health projects.
“These days, my work is to create large-scale changes in the community, rather than one-on-one interactions with patients,” Lewis says.
Lewis became a well-known face in Utah when she spent eighteen months as the spokesperson for Intermountain Health Highlights’ media campaign. “When people would stop me on the street and ask me if I was a real doctor, I would tell them I was actually a doctor playing an actress on TV,” she jokes.
As medical director for Intermountain Healthcare’s community health and prevention, “she diagnoses and challenges the cultural messages, such as those which encourage overeating or glorify cigarette smoking, that lead to poor health,” reports Utah Business magazine.
Her assignments have allowed her to work with national groups such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to participate in a fellowship with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In her current position, Lewis is responsible for developing policies, guidelines, tools, and programs in the areas of immunizations, tobacco cessation, weight management and obesity therapy, heart health, and cancer prevention services.
