Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, was fired on Friday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson had received a request from the Chicago Board of Public Health to keep her in charge. Arwady was chosen by the city’s previous mayor, Lori Lightfoot, in 2020 to guide it through the pandemic.
Dr. Allison Arwady: who is she?
When Dr. Arwady accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer at CDPH in 2015, her journey in the field of public health officially began. Her performance in this position and the expertise she brought to it led to her appointment as Commissioner in January 2020. She has been instrumental in leading Chicago through challenging health situations over the course of her career, including disease control and emergency preparedness.
Dr. Arwady gained useful experience at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prior to her CDPH positions. During her time there, she concentrated on outbreak response, which gave her the skills needed to manage and handle various health crises.
Dr. Arwady’s academic career has been distinguished. Her educational background includes diplomas from prestigious universities like Yale, Columbia, and Harvard. She still performs primary care consultations as a board-certified internal medicine physician and pediatrician, in addition to her administrative roles.
The leadership style of Dr. Arwady strongly emphasizes health justice and equity. She is an advocate for equitable access to healthcare resources and for public health decisions that are supported by science. There is no doubt that the city of Chicago has been forever changed by her unwavering commitment to these ideals.
As more information about Dr. Allison Arwady’s dynamic role as Chicago’s public health commissioner comes to light, her contributions to the city’s health system continue to be a pillar.
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