VtPHA is excited to present the second in our series of three public health career panels for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Our February panel will focus on careers in Public Health Nursing.
- Date: February 18, 2025
- Time: 4:30pm – 5:30pm
- Location: Virtual
Panelists

Alicia Butler, SASH Wellness Nurse at Addison County Home Health and Hospice
My name is Alicia Butler and I’ve been a nurse for 12 years. I live in Addison County with my husband and four young children. I graduated from Castleton State College with a BSN. I’ve worked in a variety of nursing fields including medical oncology, home health, hospital case management and now as a SASH nurse.

Cindy Ingham, Executive Director at New England Regional Genetics Group (NERGG)
Education: Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing, University of Maryland and specialized in infectious diseases at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Army Nurse in medical surgical and community health, then worked as a civilian in medical surgical, community health, home health, and public health nursing. Ran VT Newborn Screening Program for 20 years. Upon retirement, became Executive Director of NERGG Inc., specializing in genetics awareness and professional continuing education.

Merideth Plumpton, Immunization Program Manager at Vermont Department of Health
Merideth started her career in Customer Service and Project Management in the private sector. She did this work for over 10 years before returning to school in her 30’s.
She has been a nurse for 20 years, starting out in Labor and Delivery, Postpartum and Pediatric Nursing. She transitioned from hospital based nursing to the Vermont Department of Health 14 years ago and has held various positions all linked with immunizations. She is currently the Immunization Program Manager. Merideth oversees a large federal grant from CDC, the Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program, and a staff of 14.
The Immunization Program supports healthcare providers by supplying vaccines to their offices and offering education and training on a wide range of vaccine-related topics. The Immunization Program works collaboratively with multiple internal and external partners. These relationships are key to the program’s success!
Merideth holds a BA in Psychology and a BS in Nursing both from University of Vermont.

Margaret Robinson, RN, BSN, MPH – Public Health Nursing Director at Vermont Department of Health
Margaret has worked at the Vermont Department of Health since 1999. She began her career as a public health nurse in the St. Albans District Office promoting and practicing the principles and standards of public health and nursing science through work with various programs such as immunizations, epidemiology, environmental health, school health and WIC. Starting in 2007, Margaret began working for the Health Department’s Immunization program which involved collaboration with physicians, public health nurses, and stakeholders to convey information regarding immunization guidelines, recommendations, storage & handling requirements, coverage rates, and vaccine-specific promotion projects. Margaret oversaw Vermont’s Vaccine for Children’s Program providing program development and management including training healthcare professionals, creating policies, and developing systems to monitor program standards to assure compliance with federal grant requirements. Since 2012, Margaret has been the Public Health Nursing Director. Her job duties include providing direction and support for public health nursing practice across the Department including development and maintenance of Health Department clinical procedures, protocols and plans. Margaret assists in public health nursing recruitment and retention activities as well as quality assurance and improvement efforts. Additionally, Margaret oversees the Health Department’s Rural Health and Patient Safety Programs.

Margaret Urban, Nurse Home Visiting Program Administrator at Vermont Department of Health
Margaret graduated with a BSN from the University of Vermont in 1998 and began working as a registered nurse at a large Labor & Delivery unit in Chicago. The Green Mountains of Vermont called her back where she began her 25 year career as a public health nurse. Margaret worked at Vermont Department of Health’s Middlebury District Office as a family and child health coordinator and then as a public health nursing supervisor while also pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing at UVM. Margaret began working for the Department of Vermont Health Access in 2010 as a nurse case manager and home visitor with Vermont’s Chronic Care Initiative, a program for Medicaid beneficiaries with high-cost complex co-morbidities serving Chittenden County. Presently, Margaret works for the Family and Child Health Division of the Vermont Department of Health, managing the implementation of the statewide Strong Families Vermont Nurse Home Visiting Program, (internationally known as MECSH) an evidence-based, child-prevention program for pregnant and parenting families that helps families to reach their fullest potential.
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