Dr. Allison Arwady, who served as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health prior to the inauguration of Mayor Brandon Johnson, has landed a new job.
Dr. Allison Arwady, who served as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health prior to the inauguration of Mayor Brandon Johnson, has landed a new job.
Arwady has been named the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, according to a press release.
According to the CDC, Arwady will be tasked with executing strategies to curb the impacts of violence, overdose, suicide and injury in the United States.
She will take over the job in Jan. 2024, according to the press release.
“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. “From overdose to violence, this country is in a crisis, and we must meet the crisis with strong public health approaches that center evidence and equity.”
According to the CDC, drug overdose is the leading cause of death of adults 18-45 in the U.S., and injuries are the leading cause of death for children under the age of 18.
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Arwady was fired by Johnson in August after four years on the job.
“I do want to say thank you to all of those Chicagoans,” she said to NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern after her firing. “Throughout COVID, there has been just so much support for the work of the department. I don’t care about politics. I care about public health.”
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Arwady told NBC Chicago that she plans on maintaining a home in the city, and will search for an apartment in Atlanta when her job begins in the new year.
