LONDONDERRY, Vt. – The Collaborative, the regional substance misuse prevention organization, announces Samantha Pearce as their community health epidemiologist. Pearce, as epidemiologist, will oversee designing, collecting, and analyzing statistical data to measure collective impact locally and regionally.
A recent Master of Public Health graduate, Samantha Pearce takes this newly created position at The Collaborative, a nonprofit serving Bennington County, southern Windsor and Rutland counties, and western Windham County, supporting healthy communities and preventing substance misuse. The epidemiologist position is a key component to SAMHSA’s Partnerships for Success federal grant recently awarded to the Collaborative.
Victoria Silsby, prevention specialist and the grant’s project director at the Collaborative, shared, “We are most pleased Samantha will be bringing her knowledge and expertise to the position, the Collaborative, and the community. Samantha’s experience and educational background will complement the local, regional, and statewide work and will be an excellent fit to the team. She will play an integral role in positively impacting the prevention of substance misuse and building a healthier community to live, work, and attend school in.”
Pearce returned to Vermont in July 2020 after completing her one-year AmeriCorps VISTA service in Montana at Chinook Horses. Educated locally at Currier Memorial, Manchester Elementary Middle School and Burr and Burton Academy, Pearce earned an undergraduate degree in public health from Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. and her Master in Public Health from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. Pearce comes to the Collaborative with experience in planning health programs and evaluations, developing audience-appropriate communications, and community outreach coordination. These three skill sets, combined with her passion for giving back to her home community while using her technical expertise, will be invaluable to supporting and accomplishing The Collaborative’s work ahead.
Samantha Pearce notes, “While serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA, I was instrumental in developing partnerships and programming for substance misuse prevention and treatment. My time in Montana illustrated the positive impact that nonprofits, such as the Collaborative, have on individual lives and the community as a whole. I am delighted to have this opportunity to support my community and to be instrumental in implementing change in my home state of Vermont!”
Community partners, participants in the Collaborative’s programming and events, are invited to send their messages of congratulations and welcome to the new lead epidemiologist by visiting the Collaborative’s website www.thecollaborative.us or emailing info@thecollaborative.us.