Chicago officials announced Dec. 11 that Chicago Department of Public Health ( CDPH ) Commissioner Bechara Choucair will step down from his post at the end of December. He is to be replaced by CDPH Chief Medical Officer Julie Morita, pending City Council approval.
Choucair will be joining Livonia, Michigan-based Trinity Health as that organization's senior vice president for safety net transformation and community health.
"Thanks to the outstanding work of Dr. Choucair, Chicago is a healthier city today and CDPH is seen as a national leader in public health," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a statement. "We will miss him and his passion for helping Chicagoans live healthy lives."
"I am grateful to Mayor Emanuel for providing me the opportunity to serve the people of Chicago," added Choucair. "It has been an honor to work with CDPH staff, our partners and residents to make our city healthier."
The statement praised Choucair's stewardship of the city's Healthy Chicago initiative, a widely encompassing aimed at improving the health of residents in all neighborhoods.
"Since launching Healthy Chicago, we have reported declines in childhood obesity rates and teen smoking rates while making real progress in our fight to close breast cancer disparities. There is more work to do, but because of Dr. Choucair's hard work, we are moving in the right direction across the board," said Emanuel. "I expect the progress to continue under the leadership of Dr. Morita."
Morita, a board certified pediatrican, has held a number of city posts and was appointed as CDPH's chief medical officer in July 2014. She was previously the agency's medical director of immunization programs.
"Dr. Morita has dedicated her career to improving the lives, health and safety of Chicago residents," said Emanuel. "As CDPH Commissioner, Dr. Morita will continue this great work, making sure every resident has the resources, knowledge and opportunity to get and stay healthy."
Morita added, "I am honored Mayor Emanuel has given me the opportunity to build on CDPH's success to improve the health and well-being of every City resident. As a Chicago native, nothing could be more rewarding than the opportunity to give back to the City that has provided me with so much."