Mayor Brandon Johnson appoints Dr. Olusimbo Ige as new CDPH commissioner

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday he has appointed Dr. Olusimbo "Simbo" Ige to become the new commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Dr. Ige currently works 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," said Mayor Johnson. "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."

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Ige was recommended by a diverse committee of healthcare providers that conducted a nationwide search.

"We think she's a terrific communicator. That is her reputation, smart as anything, and we need a commissioner who's can now lead us into this post pandemic period," said Dr. David Ansell, Rush University Medical Center Vice President for Community Health Equity, who served on the search committee.

Ige brings with her over 20 years of public health experience. Dr. Ansell said it was Ige's performance in New York during the pandemic that impressed the committee the most.

"The way she engaged in New York City during the pandemic was not only to lead from the health department perspective, but engage the community directly," Ansell said.

"It is a distinct honor to serve the city of Chicago in this role," said Dr. Ige. "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."

Fikirte Wagaw has been serving as head of the CDPH after Mayor Johnson fired Dr. Allison Arwardy last August. Johnson fired her because she refused to reopen the city's mental health clinics closed during the Rahm Emanuel administration.

Johnson said Ige is the right choice to lead his treatment over trauma initiative that includes reopening some of the clinics.

"She represents the values of which the people of Chicago want to see in their public health commissioner," Johnson said.

Ige begins her new job on December 4. While she is not faced with the challenges of a pandemic, she will be leading a department with federal COVID funds drying up.