Michelle Peterson is the current President-Elect for the Kansas Public Health Association and has served on the board for over six years working on local, state and international projects in public health. Her experience in both public and private sector health care, drives unique partnerships for shared interests in health.

As the senior population health strategist at Cerner Corporation, Michelle brings extensive understanding of the evolving health system and regulatory advancement of payment models. The healthcare industry has customarily thought about health care data and individual responsibility as primary influencers of a person's health outcomes. Organizations recognize that alternative drivers, such as economic status, social factors and physical environments are also key influencers in health outcomes. Michelle serves as an advisors for health systems, public health, large employers, and city governments for design of these healthier community innovations. She also conducts academic research in partnership with the University of Kansas for advancement of these models.

Most recently, Michelle has been working nationally to drive clinical-community linkage for social determinants of health and adoption of standardized instruments and referral networks across clinical settings. Many Kansas communities have also worked with Michelle Peterson (Wishon) in her previous work with ASTHO, NACCHO and HHS, in emergency preparedness and response at KDHE, and during her local public health work as a regional coordinator in western Kansas.