Johnson Appoints Ige As Chicago's New Health Commissioner

CHICAGO — A former New York City assistant health commissioner will now oversee Chicago’s Department of Public Health after Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Dr. Olusimbo "Simbo" Ige as the city’s new health commissioner, the mayor’s office announced on Monday.

Inge was named to the post, which has been vacant since Johnson fired Allison Arwady as health commissioner shortly after he was elected. Arwady will begin a new position with the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention in January, the agency announced last week.

Ige currently serves as the managing director of programs at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and has previously served as the Assistant Commissioner for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

“Dr. Ige is a tremendous addition to not just our administration, but to the City of Chicago,” Johnson said in a statement released on Monday. “Dr. Ige is someone who understands the balance between hard data and community interaction when assessing public health problems and solutions, and with decades of experience in public health, she brings a clear-eyed understanding of both the challenges and the opportunities that CDPH and our city face, and how we will collectively overcome them.

“She will lead with compassion, competency, and collaboration in moving our public health department and our city forward.”

As the Managing Director of Programs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Inge oversaw partnerships with health organizations nationwide working towards making public health and healthcare systems accountable and equitable, a news release announcing her hiring said.

At the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Ige provided oversight to a wide range of programs, including the city’s pandemic response, food security programs, housing and health initiatives, mental health programs, violence prevention, and the Public Health Corps initiative.

“It is a distinct honor to serve the city of Chicago in this role,” Ige said in a statement released Monday. “Through collaboration with the Johnson Administration and with community members in Chicago, I am confident that we can improve the health outcomes for all Chicagoans. I have spent my entire career in the public health field, and I look forward to bringing all that I have learned to CDPH.”

Ige was selected through a rigorous and thorough nationwide search led by a committee composed of prominent leaders in public health, Johnson said. The search committee engaged in a comprehensive process of soliciting, vetting, and interviewing dozens of public health candidates from across the country, according to the release.

Four candidates were ultimately submitted to Mayor Johnson who interviewed each candidate before selecting Ige, who will be the first Black, female commissioner to lead the CDPH in a permanent role, Johnson said.

Ige served as the Assistant Commissioner for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from 2020-2023 and managed a team of 500 working to address intersecting racial and health inequities. In her role as Assistant Commissioner, Ige advised New York City’s health and human services executive leadership team including the Commissioner of Health, Vice President of Health and Hospitals, and the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services while providing oversight over an annual budget ranging from $500 million to $1.2 billion, according to the release.

During her time at the NYC Department of Health, Ige developed a community health worker program focused on outreach and engagement with Black communities and she spearheaded efforts for vaccine equity across the city. Ige worked closely with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, academic institutions, and other partners to advance equitable health outcomes for all New Yorkers.

Before her time in New York, Ige served as the Executive Director of Global Health for the General Board of Global Ministries, where she successfully led health initiatives across the United States and 30 other countries. In her role as Executive Director, Ige oversaw the operations, finances, and staff of offices in 16 countries and worked with more than 300 hospitals and clinics around the world.

Ige received her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and her Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. She received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

“In an incredibly talented pool, Dr. Ige shone through as a highly experienced and passionate public health leader who understands the critical juncture that public health departments find themselves,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and who was part of the search committee. “Dr. Ige is unwavering in her commitment to nimbly navigate through this time and set the mission and work of public health on a firmer foundation for the future.”