LifeWorks NW names three to senior management team

LifeWorks NW, a provider of mental health and addiction services has added to its management team.

Ebony Sloan Clarke has been named Culturally Specific Addictions Service Director. Ebony began her career as an advisor for Mothers against Gang Violence. After receiving her masters in social work from Portland State University, she joined LifeWorks NW as a child and family therapist in the Leo Ni Leo program. She then spent several years in various management positions at the Juvenile Justice Center in Philadelphia, including a year as Behavioral Health Clinical Director.

Les Busch has been named Child & Adolescent Day Treatment Service Director. Busch has worked in the field of child and family mental health for 35 years. He received his master’s in education from the University of Portland and has worked in Oregon as an administrator for various organizations including the Grand Ronde Treatment Center, State of Oregon and Christie School. He joined the faculty of Oregon Health and Science University in 1985 as an assistant professor of psychiatry and in 1997 became Director of their Children’s Psychiatric Day Treatment Center (DTC). In 2007, when OHSU transferred ownership of the Day Treatment Center to LifeWorks NW, he joined as Director of Day Treatment Services. Les recently received his appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry Department at OHSU and will be continuing teaching medical students and child fellows while in his new role at LifeWorks NW.

Courtney Towne has been appointed Child & Family and Prevention Service Director. Towne joined LifeWorks NW in 2005 as a Program Director for Intensive Community Treatment Services. She began her career working with children and families at agencies in Portland, Cleveland and San Francisco. After receiving her master’s in social work from Smith College School for Social Work in Massachusetts, Courtney worked in several managerial positions at the Charleston/Dorchester Community Mental Health Center in South Carolina. In her new appointment, Towne will oversee all Child & Family programs as well as prevention services.

Multnomah County announces appointments for medical director and dental director

Multnomah County Health Department has announced the appointment of Amit Shah, MD, as medical director.
Dr. Shah has served as a health department staff physician since 2000 and was named assistant medical director in 2006. He received his medical training at the Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed a Family Medicine residency at the Northern New Mexico Family Practice Program. Dr. Shah is currently studying for a master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). He will replace Patsy Kullberg, MD, MPH, who has served as the Health Department’s medical director for the past 20 years. Dr. Shah will provide medical supervision for the Multnomah County Health Department.

Alyssa Franzen, DMD was named Multnomah County dental director. She has a bachelor’s of science degree from University of Portland in chemistry, receiving recognition and the university’s first U.S. patent for her team’s research with Yew trees and the anticancer drug Taxol. Franzen completed her doctoral studies at Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry, followed by a Public Health Fellowship with the Community Dentistry Department at OHSU. She joined the health department in 2000 as a staff dentist working primarily with young children and will now administer the clinical practice of four county dental clinics, corrections health dental services and the School and Community Dental Program.