CHR Quarterly Newsletter - July 2026

Welcome to the SHIE Staff Profile where we feature a member of our staff to showcase how they support the Social Health Information Exchange (SHIE). This is an opportunity to celebrate the work of those with the skills essential to the success of the SHIE and the Community Health Record (CHR). This quarter we present the Operations and Engagement Specialist, Heidi Davis. 

Heidi’s path to Alameda County Health is anything but ordinary. Before joining the County, Heidi spent 17 years with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, working in one of the world’s most respected conservation genetics labs. The lab—famous for its “Frozen Zoo” collection—maintains preserved samples from species to support global research efforts. Heidi helped manage these samples and collaborated with organizations including the US Geological Survey, USDA, and NOAA to study genetic diversity in wildlife populations. 

Her conservation work also took her far beyond the lab. As a member of the Iguana Specialist Group within the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Heidi traveled to Cuba, Mexico, Fiji, and the Galápagos to support iguana population management efforts. These experiences deepened her appreciation for biodiversity and the connections between environmental health and human wellbeing. 

Family considerations brought Heidi back to Northern California, and the COVID era sparked her interest in healthcare and clinical research. She joined Alameda County Health in 2021 through TAP, finding her home with the SHIE. Heidi saw the SHIE as a meaningful place to apply her biology, data, and research skills toward improving people’s lives and shaping healthier environments. 

At the SHIE, Heidi is proud of successfully transitioning into a completely new field later in her career—developing workflows for the CHR training process that integrates Smartsheet with Learn365. Heidi is also the creator of many of the online forms used for CHR onboarding and training. She values the community of CHR users, recognizing names and relationships built over time, and brings empathy to those learning a new tool while balancing demanding workloads. To her, the CHR is a purposedriven resource that supports people doing challenging, important work.  

Outside of her work, she is a passionate lifelong language learner—primarily Spanish—believing that language study builds cultural understanding and respect. Her travels, including time in Costa Rica and Cuba, have been enriched by this skill. 

Most of all, Heidi feels grateful to have found a role and a team that align with her values. She describes SHIE as full of kind, interesting, peopleoriented colleagues and is continually inspired by the rewarding nature of working in health and social services. For Heidi, the SHIE is the perfect intersection of data, service, and community. 

Heidi has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish Literature from UC San Diego. 

We’d like to welcome these new programs to the CHR! 

• Alameda County Public Health Department - Acute Communicable Diseases Section 

• Bay Area Community Services - Regis Village 

For a list of participating organizations, learn more here.