Working

Kate Zimmermann

Kathleen Mangskau, RDH, MPA

Kathleen Mangskau, RDH, MPA, first became interested in an oral health care profession following her childhood experience with interceptive orthodontics. Her dentist at the time was learning to provide these services, and her frequent visits to see him sparked an interest in dental hygiene. She spent a year studying to be a medical technologist and, at the urging of a friend, switched to dental hygiene after spending time observing the practice in a dentist's office.

Mangskau now works for the North Dakota Department of Health as the administrator of its tobacco prevention and control program. In this capacity, she is responsible for carrying out the four broad goals and objectives set forth by the state department of health in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health and the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, by which tobacco companies pay states for 25 years for the health and economic consequences of the tobacco use they have incurred. The program's goals are to prevent young people from starting to use tobacco, promote quitting, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, and to keep specific populations from being disparately affected by tobacco use. Ultimately, the administration's goal is a tobacco-free North Dakota.

A typical day for Mangskau includes as many as 15 appointments regarding anything from community interventions to media advocacy to seeking out new grants. Mangskau oversees a staff of four, in addition to serving as the liaison to other agencies and organizations on tobacco-control issues and maintaining fiscal control of all her program's grants, budgets, and contracts.

"Public health is exciting for me because I am constantly learning new things. Every day presents a new challenge," says Mangskau, who received her associate of science degree in dental hygiene and who worked as a clinical dental hygienist for 14 years. She says that her dental hygiene background gives her a unique outlook on tobacco control issues, adding, "Oral health professionals should be involved in preventing and reducing tobacco use. Each dental visit provides an opportunity to talk to patients about tobacco use and prevent initiation, and to promote quitting."

After leaving clinical practice, Mangskau took a position as the oral health program director for the North Dakota State Department of Health. She administered the statewide oral health program and oversaw a network of eight regional oral health consultants who implemented local prevention projects. She held this position for 16 years, during which she returned to school for a bachelor of science in business administration and a master's in public administration with a cognate in educational administration.

In addition to filling these positions, Mangskau is a strong advocate for public health programs and serves on numerous committees. She was president of the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors from 1998 to 2000--the first dental hygienist, and the first woman, ever to serve in that capacity. She's published several articles on oral health, taught classes for the North Dakota AIDS Education and Training Center, and acted as a consultant for Head Start programs. Mangskau has also received several awards and accolades, some of which are from the North Dakota Dental Association and the American Dental Hygienists' Association. When asked how she handles all her responsibilities, Mangskau says, "I have always liked challenge and change and that is what attracted me to public health."

Mangskau has lived her whole life in North Dakota. Despite her busy workdays, she makes time for reading, needlepoint, and golfing with her husband David. "I make sure to dedicate much of my time to [my family]," she says.