(Austin) – The Austin City Council appointed Dr. Julie Zuniga as the newest member of the all-volunteer Central Health Board of Managers.
Dr. Zuniga is an assistant professor of nursing at The University of Texas at Austin (UT), with almost 15 years of experience in nursing, clinical instruction, and research. Some of her research interests include improving self-management of diabetes in persons with HIV and tuberculosis treatment for Mexican-Americans living on the US-Mexico border.
Dr. Zuniga was sworn in on April 30. She fills the only open board position, vacated by former Board Chair Katrina Daniel, who served from 2009 until her term ended in 2018.
“As a Central Health board member I am interested in improving health outcomes for people who are underserved,” said Dr. Zuniga. “With my background in nursing, I have a good idea of what patients experience and their health goals, so my focus on the Central Health Board of Managers will be further integrating the patient perspective into the work of Central Health.”
Dr. Zuniga received her doctorate in nursing from UT Austin and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta. She was recently awarded the Early Science Investigator Award from the Southern Nursing Research Society and the Young Researcher Award from the American Public Health Association Public Health Nursing Section.
The Austin City Council voted to appoint Dr. Zuniga to a four-year term on the Central Health Board of Managers. The Board of Managers is an all-volunteer board composed of four appointees from the Austin City Council, four appointees from the Travis County Commissioners Court, and one joint appointee.