DPBH Leadership

Cody Phinney is a Nevada native, and has been in state service since 1998. Cody has a Master’s Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Health Services Administration; as well as a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Cody started with the mental health programs doing quality assurance. She has been an agency manager and managed the Federal Community Mental Health Services Block Grants. She has an extensive background working in health and human service programs, including program and division oversight at the executive level in Nevada state government. Cody has developed a strong background in program oversight, quality assurance and performance improvement.

Julia Peek is a native Nevadan, born and raised in the Carson Valley. She went to school at Douglas High School, then went on to the University of Nevada, Reno to get her Bachelor's Degree in Health Ecology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies and a Certificate in Gerontology. Julia moved to Seattle to get her Master's Degree in Health Services Administration with a focus on rural and underserved communities at the University of Washington. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Great Basin Public Health Leadership Institute and is currently enrolled in the state's Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program.

Julia has been with DHHS since 2006, starting as a health resource analyst and then was promoted to the manager of the Office of Public Health Informatics and Epidemiology (OPHIE). During her public health career thus far, Julia has received several awards for her work, including the Dr. John E. Worden Award for excellence in public health from the University of Nevada, Reno and the Public Health Leader of the Year and Public Health Advocate of the Year from the Nevada Public Health Association.

Kyle Devine was born and raised in the Reno area. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Education from the University of Nevada, Reno. in 1998 and as well as a Master’s in Social work in 1996. In his 30 years working in public and behavioral health, Kyle’s career has involved building and evaluating programs in both Nevada and rural Northeastern California for non-profit agencies, local governments, private sector business, and state government. In his more than 20 years working for the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, he has managed most programs within the division, including Maternal and Child Health, Chronic Disease, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, outpatient mental health services, and regulatory programs. Kyle is a graduate of the Great Basin Public Health Leadership Institute and has a green belt in LEAN/Six Sigma.

Dr. Ihsan Azzam oversees public health surveillance, epidemiology and disease control activities. He advises state and local health authorities, healthcare providers and community-based organizations, and provides professional education, guidelines, clinical updates and recommendations to prevent, control and contain disease outbreaks. Dr. Azzam represents Nevada on state and national forums, advisory bodies, and academic institutions, and he coordinates investigations and surveillance activities among state, local and federal agencies.

Dr. Azzam earned his medical degree from Cluj University of Medicine in Romania in 1982 and completed his OBGYN residency in 1986. He also holds a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Demography from the University of Seattle School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and a CDC Chronic Disease Epidemiology Certificate from the Penn State College of Medicine. At the University of Nevada, Reno, Dr. Azzam completed his MPH in 2002 and PhD in 2010. He has been the recipient of several awards, including the 2011 National Sheppard Award for Excellence in Epidemiology.

As the Nevada State Epidemiologist, Melissa Peek-Bullock provides technical assistance, advice and direction for disease control specialists, epidemiology staff and other health professionals throughout the state regarding disease control investigation, intervention and prevention.

Melissa has extensive background in public health and epidemiology, having served as both a disease investigator and epidemiologist at Washoe County Health District from 2005-2016 before accepting the state epidemiologist position. Melissa holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Dr. Mitch DeValliere is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, with a bachelor’s degree in biology.  He then graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College of Los Angeles and was in private practice for 28 years.  As Agency Manager, Mitch oversees the public health infrastructure and workforce development initiatives for the Division of Public and Behavioral Health.  His extensive public health management background includes epidemiology, program management and quality improvement.  Mitch is an experienced Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and will use the principles he has learned through his professional and personal experiences to ensure quality improvement, process flow and efficiency.