The Belmont Health Department is fully staffed now that Assistant Director Angela Braun has joined the office in the Homer Building.

She began her new position on Monday, Dec. 6, with the responsibilities of filling in for Health Director Stefan Russakow when he is not available, taking over the town's food protection plan, helping the Animal Control Officer with various complaints and responding – along with other town departments – to calls pertaining to hazardous waste.

Braun will also inspect Belmont's swimming pools, summer day camps, tanning salons, respond to complains pertaining to health code violations as well as housing and habitability and represent the department at regional meetings and events.

Most recently the health inspector for Billerica, Braun said she is very much looking forward to working in Belmont.

"This looks like a lovely community, very different from Billerica, with a larger variety of things to do," she said.

"In my last position, I mostly worked in the food program but here there will be more multi-tasking which I enjoy." she said.

Braun and her husband, Phil, live in Groton. Originally from California where she earned a bachelor of science in environmental health from San Diego State University, she and her family moved to New England 14 years ago.

Braun said she decided to work in the field of environmental health because she is interested in how the environment affects people.

"I love the sciences but didn't want to be working indoors in a lab all day," she said. "I prefer a hands-on approach."

As a registered environmental health specialist, Braun brings excellent experience to the health department, said Russakow, who also holds the designation.

 "We now have two people with broad-based environmental credentials," he said. "In addition to enforcing, we also educate about public-health related hazards with compassion.

In this position, one has to know how to work with people to ensure a healthy environment."

Braun was in the top five of candidates who interviewed for the position and was hired because she was the best for the job, said Russakow.

"Angela had the broadest-based experience, excellent educational credentials and background in food protection and general environmental health," he said.

"We were looking for someone who is qualified to take on a leadership role and assist with public education," said Russakow.