Heather Pangelinan
40 Under 40 Class of 2023
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Director of Public Health Services
Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation
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Pacific Islander women, like myself, often go underrepresented or unrecognized for the amazing work that we take part of within our island communities, and I hope to elevate those voices.
Three words to describe me:
compassionate, supportive, resourceful
The best part of my job:
being able to serve and make a positive impact on the community where I was born and raised, and elevating the voices of my fellow Pacific Islanders
Something that would surprise others about me:
I never graduated high school.
Heather is the Director for Public Health Services for the Northern Mariana Islands, where she oversees maternal and child health, WIC, HIV/STD/viral hepatitis, non-communicable disease, and environmental health programs. She started her career in public health working with vulnerable families in a home visiting program that served pregnant women and families with infants.
During the COVID-19 pandemic response, Heather served as COVID-19 vaccination operations chief, overseeing vaccination activities for the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Heather is of the Chamorro Indigenous people and earned a Bachelor’s in Social Science and a Master’s of Science in Counseling.
