On July 26, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced that Dr Manisha Juthani had been nominated to serve as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
Dr Manisha Juthani, an Indian-American doctor, is an infectious diseases physician at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven. She specialises in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of infections in older adults. Recently, her area of interest is at the interface of infectious diseases and palliative care, including what role antibiotics play at the end of life.
Juthani completed her undergraduate training at the University of Pennsylvania and then attended Cornell University Medical College. She completed residency training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Campus and served as a chief resident at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
In 2002, Juthani joined Yale School of Medicine for infectious diseases fellowship training, and in 2006, she joined the faculty full-time.
In 2012, Juthani assumed the role of infectious diseases fellowship program director.
“Dr Juthani’s background in infectious diseases will be a tremendous benefit to the people of Connecticut as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen our vaccination efforts,” Gov. Lamont was quoted as saying. “When seeking candidates to serve in this role, Dr Juthani came recommended by many top experts in this field, and I am thrilled to have her join our administration. I’m incredibly proud that Connecticut is among the leading states in vaccinating our residents, but as this pandemic continues, we need to implement sound policies that will keep the rates of transmission as low as possible.”
Juthani said she is “grateful to the civil servants at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Dr Gifford, and Governor Lamont for leading us through this pandemic to date,” adding, “Under Dr Gifford’s leadership, I look forward to continuing their efforts related to COVID-19, mental health, health equity, health disparities, and access to healthcare going forward.”
Upon accepting the nomination, Juthani will succeed Dr Deidre Gifford as head of the state’s public health agency on September 20 this year. Gifford will then solely lead the Department of Social Services and maintain a close connection with Juthani to provide counsel.
