Dr. Allison Arwady, the former public health commissioner for Chicago, will join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s efforts to address the nationwide increase in overdoses and suicides.
Arwady, who led the Chicago Department of Public Health from 2019 until being fired by Mayor Brandon Johnson in August, will begin as director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in January.
“I am honored to join the CDC in tackling some of the most pressing public health issues that face our communities today,” she said in a statement. “During my time leading Chicago’s Department of Public Health, I saw the power of using local data to drive public health action and I look forward to translating this experience to a national scale. From overdose to violence, this country is in crisis, and we must meet the crisis with strong public health approaches that center evidence and equity.”
A CDC spokesman said Arwady is “nationally recognized for her strong leadership and communications skills, which are pivotal in the role.”
Arwady told the Chicago Sun-Times that she will work primarily in Atlanta, but plans to keep her residence in Chicago.
Ahead of the spring mayoral election, Johnson made a campaign promise to fire Arwady. Along with disagreements over the potential reopening of mental health clinics that were closed under then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union took issue with how the city handled reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Deputy Commissioner Fikirte Wagaw has overseen the health department on an interim basis since August. Johnson on Monday announced Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige as his choice to become the next commissioner for the department.