Taryn Oestreich receives Public Health Excellence Award
The Public Health Excellence Award recognizes a public health employee who has demonstrated outstanding excellence in public health practice.
Taryn Oestreich, clinical research coordinator (Kidney Research Institute/VA/Nephrology), is the 2025 recipient of the Washington State Public Health Association 
(WSPHA) Public Health Excellence Award. She was honored for her dedication and service that has significantly benefited the Washington state community.
Oestreich received news of her award on the very day she retired, concluding an extraordinary 40-year career dedicated to public health. She finished her tenure contributing to groundbreaking research at the UW Kidney Research Institute and the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System.
Health education
Alongside leveraging her expertise to produce patient educational materials in all formats and training materials for healthcare staff, Oestreich developed a passion for research and advancing the science of health education.
She worked on National Institute of Health-funded clinical trials to develop health education interventions for caregivers to improve end-of-life care for patients with terminal cancer.
Her research has been essential to closing gaps in care for Veterans, Washingtonians and communities beyond.
The last decade of her career at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System Center of Innovation demonstrated her transition into public health research and focus on crucial health issues affecting local and national Veteran populations.
She has worked on topics spanning health coaching for amputees, promoting lung cancer screening, developing mobile applications for cardiac rehabilitation, and developing patient- and provider-facing decision aids for treatment of kidney failure.
She has co-authored seven research publications in high-impact scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and the open-access Journal of the American Medical Association, that have reached international audiences and is shaping the way healthcare is delivered.
Community health
Beyond her professional roles, she has championed community health through initiatives like creating the Ride Right bicycle safety curriculum and founding Washington’s first bicycle helmet safety coalition.
She has taught future educators at Central and Western Washington Universities and held leadership positions with nonprofits, including president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Society for Public Health Education and board member of Deaconess Children’s Services.
Even in retirement, she continues to support Seattle Children’s Hospital on projects ranging from health fairs and drowning prevention to patient education and childhood nutrition programs.
Her commitment to mentoring future public health leaders reflects her passion and integrity, and her achievements and dedication to advancing public health education have left a lasting impact on the health and well-being of Washington communities.
Excerpts from her nomination letter, written by Olivia Gaughran and Dr. Susan Wong.
