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Barnstable County names in‑house epidemiologist, wins digital counties award
Summary
The county introduced Cassidy O'Hara as a new in‑house epidemiologist and announced a 2026 Digital Counties Award from NACO for the county website. Commissioners highlighted the department's capacity to analyze social determinants of health and test water and other environmental metrics.
Barnstable County on July 30 introduced its new epidemiologist, Cassidy O'Hara, and announced that the county website received a 2026 Digital Counties Award.
Cassidy O'Hara, recently hired into the county health department, said her role focuses on "data storytelling" and data‑to‑action projects: making public‑health data accessible and actionable for municipal leaders and residents. "With that data, you really have power," she said, noting work already underway on vaccine reporting and web‑based data products.
County staff also highlighted recent investments in public‑health capacity. County administrator Michael Dutton noted the county won a NACO award for its website and communications. "We received award from, NACO... 2026 Digital Counties Award," he said, and commissioners praised staff member Sonya Sheasley for the work.
Commissioners connected the new analytic capacity to other agenda items — including food insecurity and hazard mitigation — and said improved local data on health and environmental risks (for example, lab testing and PFAS analysis) will support more targeted interventions.
Why it matters: an in‑house epidemiologist increases the county's ability to analyze social determinants of health, track trends, and support towns with timely, localized data; the digital award underscores the county's investment in communicating that information to the public.
