Former state public health director named Sonoma County interim health officer

Dr. Karen Smith, an experienced public health official who previously served four years as director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer, has been named interim health officer by the director of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. A physician specializing in infectious disease and public health with a master’s degree in public health, Dr. Smith has led health departments at the state and local level.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today approved the appointment of Dr. Smith, who will serve in the interim role while Sonoma County completes its nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase. Dr. Mase left April 7 for a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana has been serving in the interim role. Dr. Baldwin-Santana will depart on Aug. 4 to become the health officer for San Mateo County.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Karen Smith as Sonoma County’s interim health officer,” said Tina Rivera, director of the Department of Health Services. “Her extensive background in public health, including her experience as the top health official in the state, makes her more than qualified to lead us through our most pressing health challenges.”

The health officer serves as the chief medical officer and top health policy official for the county. Health officers are granted authority from the state to declare public health emergencies, issue health orders and impose penalties for noncompliance.

Dr. Smith was appointed in 2015 by Gov. Jerry Brown as the California State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health, a position she held through July of 2019. She previously served as Napa County's health officer and deputy director of Napa County Health and Human Services Agency. She was a member of the medical staff for infectious disease at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa from 2012 to 2015. Prior to her work in Napa County, Dr. Smith served as deputy health officer and tuberculosis control officer for Santa Clara County, where she was also clinical faculty at the Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Division of Infectious Diseases and at the Santa Clara County Tuberculosis clinic.

“I’m looking forward to working with Sonoma County’s dedicated team of public health professionals,” Dr. Smith said. “I hope to make a positive contribution towards the health and resilience of this community.”

Dr. Smith completed her medical training and infectious diseases fellowship at Stanford University after earning a Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public health. Prior to her public health and medical training, she served in the Peace Corps as public health laboratory director for the Marrakesh Province in Morocco, and at the Wichienburi Regional Hospital in Thailand.

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Media Contact: 
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403