Press Releases
11/20/2024
Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani named as President-Elect for national public health association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 18, 2024
CONTACT: Chris Boyle—Director of Communications
(860) 706-9654 – christopher.boyle@ct.gov
HARTFORD, Conn.—Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, has been named the President-Elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Commissioner Juthani was voted into the role by state and territorial health officials from across the country. Commissioner Juthani takes over for outgoing president-elect and current president Scott Harris, MD, MPH, State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health. Over the past year, Commissioner Juthani has served as secretary/treasurer for ASTHO.
“Commissioner Juhani’s dedication to the health and safety of our residents is well known. Her reputation extends well beyond our state lines which is evident by this recognition from her public health colleagues across the country,” said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. “Congratulations Commissioner Juthani on this wonderful accomplishment—you continue to make the State of Connecticut proud.”
Commissioner Juthani’s one year appointment as president begins in the fall of 2025. For 80 years, ASTHO has continued to support its members and other public health officers across America. Some of the work ASTHO has conducted over the years includes improving the collection and utilization of public health data, expanding access to care and treatment, and creating new preparedness frameworks to respond to crises.
“I am honored that my public health colleagues have entrusted me with this role and have enjoyed working with Immediate Past President Dr. Steven J. Stack and President Dr. Scott Harris,” said Commissioner Juthani. “The Connecticut DPH team has benefited from so many ASTHO programs including those that focus on leadership development, technical assistance, and legislative advocacy and I look forward to leading this extraordinary organization.”
Commissioner Juthani is the first Indian American to serve as a commissioner in the State of Connecticut. She served as Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine through September 2024 and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Medicine. She served as Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program from 2012 to 2021. Dr. Juthani received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and MD from Cornell University Medical College, completed Internal Medicine residency training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Campus, and served as Chief Resident at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She came to Connecticut in 2002 as an Infectious Diseases Fellow at Yale School of Medicine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Juthani was a leader in the COVID response at Yale which led to her appointment as Commissioner of DPH in 2021. In the early days of the pandemic, she was a voice to help educate the public in both local and national media outlets, a role she was able to expand in her role as Commissioner.
As DPH Commissioner, she continues to combat emerging infectious diseases and is committed to preserving foundational public health principles and services to keep the residents of Connecticut healthy. To do this work, she is committed to growing the public health workforce and partnering with local health departments who are essential partners in implementing public health policies. She sees all these goals through an equity lens which is essential to ensuring that our focus on health as a human right is maintained.
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