Tom Newton, former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, has joined Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield as director of network engagement. He will work with hospitals and physicians to better understand their business challenges and develop new programs, Wellmark said in a news release. Newton has a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning and political science, and a master’s degree in public policy, both from the University of Northern Iowa. He is also a graduate of the State Health Leadership Institute, a program of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Newton had been at the Iowa Department of Public Health since 2000.