Dr. Bernadette Albanese and Dr. Paul Mayer start the week of Aug. 15
El Paso County, CO – A highly skilled pair of doctors will bring complementary strengths and more than 50 combined years of public health and medical expertise as the new co-medical directors for El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH). Both begin their new roles the week of Aug. 15.
"Our new medical directors will use their corresponding skills to the benefit of the El Paso County residents we work with on a daily basis," said Susan Wheelan, director of El Paso County Public Health. "Dr. Albanese and Dr. Mayer both bring decades of experience into their new roles and a deep understanding of public health practice and Colorado’s public health system. They will bring a great set of skills and knowledge into this new dual role.”
Dr. Albanese returns to EPCPH in a role she previously held from 2007 to 2012. She has also served as medical director and director of health services for Boulder County Public Health from 2012-14 and has spent the last eight years as a medical epidemiologist for the Tri-County Health Department. She began her career in public health as a medical epidemiologist for the New Mexico Department of Health where she worked in infectious disease epidemiology, surveillance, disease control and applied epidemiologic research. Dr. Albanese holds a Master of Public Health from John Hopkins University and earned her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and a pediatric infectious disease fellowship at Brown University.
Dr. Mayer has served as medical director at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment since February 2021. He has been a family physician for more than 25 years, and his practice has included general family medicine with inpatient medicine, obstetrics and HIV care. He started his medical career in Durango, Colorado, where he spent five years before working in federally qualified health clinics for the next 20 years. He earned his medical degree from the University of California at Davis.
The new co-medical directors will take the place of Dr. Chris Urbina, who served as EPCPH interim medical director in 2022. After a transition period, Dr. Urbina will retire after an impressive 35-year career in public health that included his leadership as director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and as medical director for four county health departments in Colorado.
El Paso County Public Health serves all residents and visitors in El Paso County by promoting and protecting public health and environmental quality through people, prevention and partnerships. It is the agency’s vision for all El Paso County residents to live in thriving communities where every person has the opportunity to achieve optimal health.
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