MPHA Member Spotlight: Lee Anne Dodge

July 11, 2024

How long have you been an MPHA Member, and what do you find most valuable about your MPHA membership? 

Formally for last 5 years, prior to that I was on the board from 2006-2014. There are so many opportunities to meet other colleagues in the state who have expertise in a number of public health topics. When you are part of the member sections-I have been part of the Infrastructure section, Health Equity Section, and the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs section-you are connecting with people you have never met before. We often stay in our own silos, but here you can meet folks in different fields who are connected to your work and that really expands knowledge of what is happening nationally, at the state level, and at the local level. 

Can you share a bit about your current role(s)? 

I am the program director of SoPo Unite- All Ages All In, one of the 13 drug free community coalitions in Maine. We receive federal funding from the US CDC and are currently in our 8th year of funding out of 10. We work with 12 sectors of the community (youth, parents, schools, city officials, media, health care field, faith based organizations, businesses, youth serving agencies, civic organizations, other substance use prevention organizations, and law enforcement) because we know that with substance use prevention and intervention it takes collaboration across many sectors.. The work is ever changing- when I started with this funding in 2016 we focused mostly on alcohol and cannabis, but a year later youth vaping took off, and that’s since been a primary focus of our work.

Who or what inspires you in your work? 

What has really inspired me is the work the youth have done. When I first started everyone told me just to work with adults, but fortunately my office is in a high school. We started with a handful of student representatives to fulfill the grant requirement, and in 7 years more than 400 students engaged withSoPo Unite. First they started working with the middle school and then they got braver and started working with their peers. Now the youth who started the group have graduated from college and they are still involved in the work. The students facilitate trainings for their peers, have focused on improving transportation in South Portland in partnership with Cumberland County Public Health, and helped write a book about problem gambling with PTTC/AdCare. Most notably, in 2018 students helped to change the school policy to be restorative, including changing the athletic code to remove suspension from playing sports. 

Is there anything else you would like to share?

One of my big goals is to write a book with the help from SoPo Unite Alumni about life after high school. I worked for close to 20 years in higher education as a hall director and as the assistant director of student life at USM and now that I work in a high school, I can see how much is needed to help prepare students to do well in college. The earlier we can reach people and the sooner you can intervene with students who are at higher risk or have already started using substances, the better.