Roberta M. Hammond, Ph.D., R.S.

Statewide Coordinator of Food and Waterborne Disease

Phone: (850) 245-4116
FAX (850) 922-8473

Roberta Hammond received her Ph.D. from Temple University in 1993.  She has been working in Environmental Health for 21 years and became a Registered Sanitarian in 2006.  She began her career in environmental health in 1989 as Environmental Specialist and then Environmental Health Director at the Franklin County Health Department in Florida.  In these jobs she functioned as inspector of septic tanks, restaurants, sanitary nuisances, dog bites, rabies, wells and other programs .  After 2 ½ years as Environmental Health Director, she moved to the Office of Restaurant Programs in Tallahassee, helping to oversee the state’s restaurant inspection program.  In 1994, she became Statewide Coordinator of the Food and Waterborne Disease Program.  She has received several awards including: the Commissioner’s Special Citation (FDA) – NFSS project, 2001 team award; the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service (FDA) – 2002; the Billy G. Tennant Award – FEHA 2003; and the Leveraging Collaboration Award – FDA 2007

Her non-professional work, which helped her get through college, includes many years in the food industry from harvesting (commercial fishing and shrimping, picking cherries, strawberries and peppers), to processing (shrimp heading, kitchen food prep, deli counter) to food service (waitress, bartender).

The Food and Waterborne Disease Program with the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Public Health Medicine is responsible for surveillance and investigation of food and waterborne disease outbreaks, gives technical assistance to county health departments and develops and provides training to county health departments and other interested groups.