Trish Lavish, MPS, BA, is excited to join the Whatcom family as the new Director for the Area Health Education Center for Western Washington. Trish received her Master in Applied Communications from Missouri State University in 2021. Originally from Oklahoma, she has been with the AHEC network for over 10 years, most recently serving as Health Career Coordinator with the SW Missouri AHEC in Springfield, MO. Projects in Missouri included high school and pre-professional student pipeline recruitment, as well as various community projects, including medical moulage in disaster preparedness training, mental health first aid, and opioid use and substance use awareness; she is a Certified BLS/First Aid Instructor with the American Heart Association and a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.