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Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health who spearheaded the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was fired on Friday by Mayor Brandon Johnson, the mayor's office said.
Alongside former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Arwady was a driver of the city's COVID strategy throughout the pandemic and became know for holding regular press conferences as well as weekly live "Ask Arwady" sessions on Facebook and Twitter to answer real-time COVID questions.
In an email Friday evening, Johnson's office confirmed Arwady's firing, but didn't provide a reason or any details.
Earlier this year, following Lightfoot's reelection loss, questions swirled about whether Arwady would stay on in the next administration. In an interview with NBC 5 health reporter Lauren Petty in mid-April, the CDPH director said that she was “hopeful” to continue on as the department's leader.
“I definitely hope to stay,” she said. “I’m really proud of the work that the Chicago Department of Public Health has done. I’ve really enjoyed my job, even with how crazy it’s been with COVID.”
Questions about Arwady’s future in the department arose during a forum one month earlier where Johnson indicated that he would seek a leadership change.
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“We have different views of public health, so no, she will not stay on in my administration,” he said during a March mayoral forum hosted by WBEZ.
Johnson softened that stance in the following weeks, including in an interview with WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel.
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Initially joining CDPH in 2015 as chief medical officer, Arwady previously worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer and assisted with responses to international outbreaks such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola, according to the city of Chicago website.
A graduate of medical school at Yale University, Arwady received a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree in public health from Columbia University.
Regardless of whether she remained at the helm of the department, Arwady said she hoped to stay in Chicago.
“I love Chicago. This is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in my life, and you know, I love public health,” she said in March. “Time will tell, but this is the job. This is a great fit for me right now.”
Arwady released the following statement in a series of posts on X Friday night:
"Over a decade of working in public health in Chicago--including four years as the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health--my top priority has always been protecting the health of all Chicagoans," she stated. "It has been the best chapter of my life (so far!) leading the CDPH team, especially through the COVID pandemic, when public health was needed more than ever. Public health must always be driven by science and medicine, and never politics. It is critical that this work receives the funding needed to remain strong, and that the next CDPH Commissioner shares this department’s commitment to health equity. I have every confidence in the CDPH team. I applaud them for all that they have done and continue to do, and I was especially disappointed not to get a chance to say goodbye. Public health remains my passion. I am dedicated to continuing this work, even if I am not able to continue to serve the city I love as your commissioner. As a physician and public health leader, my work to advance health, equity, and justice, particularly for those on the margins, will continue."
Following Arwady's firing, Lightfoot wrote a series of posts, calling the public health official "a hero."
"We all owe a debt to her unflagging commitment to data, science and keeping us all safe through one of the worst pandemics that the world has ever seen," the former mayor said. "She also spearheaded the expansion of culturally competent mental health services to all 77 neighborhoods for free, and serving children and adolescents for the first time ever. Dr. Arwady has been a friend to the LGBTQ+ community, focused on HIV/AIDS and MPV. And she's been fighting to save lives through the heroin and fentanyl crises. Dr. Arwady is a national leader, and we are lucky that she chose to be a public servant in our city. My admiration and love for her are without limit. May the good Lord continue to bless you, Allison."
