Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh (D) on Wednesday nominated Dr. Letitia Dzirasa to be the city’s new Health commissioner, effective March 11. She’ll replace Dr. Leana H. Wen, who left last fall to become president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
For the past three years, Dzirasa has been health innovation officer at Fearless Solutions LLC, a Baltimore-based information technology company. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Doctorate of Medicine from Meharry Medical College.
Upon earning her doctorate, Dzirasa served as a resident physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she worked as a general pediatrician at a primary care practice. Over the next few years, Dzirasa held various leadership positions at Baltimore Medical System.
“We are fortunate to have attracted a candidate of Dr. Dzirasa’s caliber and broad experience to advance our agenda to improve the health prospects of all Baltimore residents,” Pugh said in a statement. “She will bring a commitment to reducing youth violence through evidence-based approaches, as well working to eliminate health disparities that persist, even while building on our progress to address the opioid epidemic and further improve access to critical care.”