Spotlighting the Career of LCDR Tiffany Moore

Biography Contributed by: LCDR Allison Gallen

This Nursing Spotlight is brought to you by CDR Amy Valderrama, CDR Nichole Vetter and LTJG Alyssa Givens

LCDR Moore’s diverse and successful career with the Unites States Public Health Service (USPHS) serves as a testament to the various career opportunities the Corps provides. It took this small town Texas girl with dreams of being a nurse into the heart of the Ebola crisis in Monrovia. She describes her voluntary two month deployment in Liberia as, “life changing” and the most meaningful experience of her distinguished 11 year career as an Officer. Her primary role while in Liberia was working as a clinical nurse where she was able to utilize her experience in infection control (IC). LCDR Moore recalls her experience in Monrovia, “the moment you stepped across that threshold it was something that hit you. I walked slowly and methodically, taking deep breaths, thinking wow I am really in a “HOT” zone with a level 4 biological agent. However, the moment I saw our sweet patient my heart hurt for her. When she reached out to hold my hand, I did not hesitate to hold it, to comfort her when she needed it most. It was in those moments as I prayed with her, that I knew I was there for a reason. I was truly honored and humbled to provide direct, holistic, and compassionate patient care to our patients”.

LCDR Moore began her nursing career in 2003, working in a Level 1 Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before accepting a civilian position with the Indian Health Service (IHS) at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital. It was here that she first learned about the USPHS and commissioned in 2004. In this role, she worked to bring back ICU level care to the hospital. In 2006, she transferred to the Division of Immigration Health Services (DIHS) in Houston, Texas where she provided care and support to detainees awaiting legal proceedings. During her time with DIHS, LCDR Moore held many titles including: Staff   Nurse, Senior Staff Nurse and Program Management Officer which encompassed a wide variety of IC, safety, and performance improvement duties. These experiences provided LCDR Moore with the knowledge to help in decreasing the spread of tuberculosis and other infectious disease among this immigrant population. She witnessed the complex transition that immigrant patients went through, beginning with detainment. Patients were then often transferred through the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) and then the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Eventually, these detainees would end up back with Immigration to await deportation which added to the complexity of case management. This experience prepared her to make the move to Washington D.C. in 2010, where she began building an Infection Control Program as a Senior Nurse Case Manager with the USMS. In 2013, she returned to work with the Immigration Health Service Corps where she presently works as the Lead IC Officer/ Nurse Consultant for the Public Health, Safety and Preparedness Unit.

LCDR Moore accredits her successful career to having “good mentors” that encouraged her to get involved as a Junior Officer with groups such as the NPAC and the COA. While working with these groups, she was able to network with fellow officers and cultivate collaborative working relationships. It was through these relationships that she learned about the many employment opportunities that molded her into the nurse that she is today. She currently serves as a member of the Capital Area Provider (CAP) Team 4 and has had the privilege of participating in 6 different deployments in support of the mission, including most recently the Papal Visit in September. Within the NPAC, LCDR Moore serves on the Recruitment Subcommittee as the region 6 team lead for the “Every Nurse is an Ambassador Campaign” and has helped implement the Federal Public Health Strategic Nursing Plan under the direction of the Chief Nurse. The current initiative being highlighted is the Million Hearts Campaign. If you are interested in learning more about how you can become involved with this Campaign, please visit the website at http://phs-nurse.org/PHSNurseStrategicPlan/. Just as other officers have advised her, LCDR Moore encourages Officers to, “get involved in the NPAC, network with other nurses, build relationships with fellow officers, maintain your nursing skills, and continue to grow in your knowledge and education every day. Every person you meet is going to teach you something along the way.”

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