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Staff

30 years of faithful service

Wanda Jallow 30 yearsEven with more than 30 years of state service, Wanda Jallow, who works in DBHDD’s Division of Performance Management and Quality Improvement, stills feels humble enough to know that there is always more to learn.

“My favorite aspect of my job is working with my co-workers,” Wanda said. “Most of them were little kids when I started my career with the state.  I enjoy sharing my knowledge with them and giving them encouragement to hang in there when things are rough.  I also know they have knowledge to share with me.  You can teach an old dogs new tricks!”

Wanda received her award and pin commemorating 30 years of faithful service in a ceremony earlier this month.  She started her career with the state in 1984 at Georgia Regional Hospital – Atlanta, and continued on to the DeKalb County Board of Health and the Department of Community Health before joining DBHDD last year.  She was working as an infectious disease nurse at the DeKalb County Board of Health following the 9/11 attacks.

“I began working with the Office of Emergency Preparedness where I was working directly with the CDC,” Wanda said.  “During this time, I assisted with the investigations of Anthrax threats.  I also had the privilege of being on the front line when several new diseases or reoccurring diseases were discovered such as West Nile virus, Avian Influenza, SARS, and so many more that were threats in the U.S. and throughout the world.”

Congratulations on 30 plus years of faithful service, Wanda!

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Department News Events

Nursing conference focuses on brain manipulation and stimulation

In celebration of National Nurses Week each year, West Central Georgia Regional Hospital hosts a nursing conference in Columbus. This year’s conference, “Manipulating the Brain: From Lobotomy to Deep Brain Stimulation,” enabled participants to apply knowledge of past and present interventions involving brain manipulation to identify patients who may benefit from these treatments.

The featured speaker was Dr. Nzinga Harrison, chief medical officer for Anka Behavioral Health Inc. and a member of the Clinical Adjunct Faculty in the nursing schools at Emory University and Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Harrison spoke on several topics, including defining and describing brain manipulation techniques; describing the history and past uses of brain manipulation techniques; discussing alternative interventions and their safety with patients; and identifying alternative interventions for common neurological diseases.