Patsy Holtz, MPH, CHES, joined the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center (ESAHEC) as the Community Health Worker (CHW) Training and MARCH Program Coordinator in August of 2026. She is excited to be with ESAHEC full time following an internship she did here while earning her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Public Health Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh (Class of ’25). In addition to her MPH, Patsy is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and earned her BS in Genetics & Counseling Psychology from Cedar Crest College (Class of ’23), a historically all-women’s college in Allentown, PA.

Prior to rejoining ESAHEC, Patsy was a clinical research coordinator for University of Pennsylvania within the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. She has additional wet lab and computational research experience in studying genetic predisposition and social determinants of health as they relate to diabetes and depression. Patsy has always looked for ways to merge her love for STEM with her outgoing, person-centered demeanor. Her passion is to bridge the gap between scientific research, health care systems, and the public through meaningful public health communication and to improve health outcomes in rural communities like those on the Eastern Shore.

In her brief time as a program coordinator at ESAHEC, Patsy has enjoyed watching CHW students light up as they anticipate serving their communities and helping those around them.