Changemakers | A conversation with Amber Coyne
From Oregon State to India to Tennessee, Amber Coyne, MPH ’15, is making a profound impact in infectious disease community outreach, prevention and treatment. Currently the Syndemic Coordination Director at the Tennessee Department of Health, she oversees the development and implementation of End the Syndemic Tennessee (ETS), which is a community-informed strategic plan to address the prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, substance use disorder and viral hepatitis in Tennessee.
Join an important conversation with Coyne about how her roots in public health and special interests in LGBTQ+ health equity, harm reduction and language justice propel her to find innovative ways to address public health risks and keep our most vulnerable populations safe.
About the Speaker:
Amber Coyne, MPH ’15, is the Syndemic Coordination Director at the Tennessee Department of Health where she oversees the development and implementation of End the Syndemic Tennessee (ETS). ETS is a community-informed strategic plan to address the prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, substance use disorder and viral hepatitis in Tennessee. Strategies were identified through extensive community engagement including regional planning meetings, focus groups, key informant interviews and a syndemic needs assessment survey. She was recognized for this work in 2022 with the Centers for Disease Control and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Excellence in Public Health Service Diane Caves Early Career Award.
Previously, she worked as a CDC assignee with the Metropolitan Public Health Department in Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked to expand community outreach and implement the use of telemedicine to deliver electronic Directly Observed Therapy (eDOT) for tuberculosis treatment. Her public education video, “Tubercules Learns How to Get Tested for TB,” has been recognized nationally by the TB Education and Training Network for project excellence. She also served as the prevention co-chair of Nashville’s Ending the HIV Epidemic planning process and as the public outreach branch director in Nashville’s hepatitis A outbreak response.
Coyne graduated from Oregon State University in 2015 with a Master of Public Health. During her graduate career, she worked alongside the Swasti Health Resource Centre in Bangalore, India, to redesign and evaluate HIV prevention programming for LGBTQ+ people in Southern India.
The Changemakers live webcast series features Oregon State alumni who are blazing a path toward justice, equity and community safety and strength.
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The Changemakers webcast series is brought to you by the College of Liberal Arts and the OSU Alumni Association.