Dr. Allison Arwady—the head of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) who led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic—was let go from her job on Aug. 11.
She never met with current Mayor Brandon Johnson, per The Chicago Sun-Times.
On X (formerly Twitter), Arwady described her tenure leading the health agency as the "best chapter of her life (so far)," adding it was "critical" the city's health department receive the funding it needed to "remain strong."
She also stated, "Public health must always be driven by science and medicine, and never politics. … As a physician and public health leader, my work to advance health, equity, and justice, particularly for those on the margins, will continue."
In a statement, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot praised Arwady. Lightfoot appointed Arwady, who told the Sun-Times in April she wanted to continue under Johnson. However, even though Arwady has been credited for her leadership role during the COVID years, she also lacked the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), a significant backer and ally of Johnson. CTU felt Arwady sent students back to classrooms too early, while COVID transmission rates remained high.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Arwady had worked with the CDC and the Yale School of Medicine before her tenure with the CDPH, which began in 2015 with her as chief medical officer.
In recent years, Arwady took part in such events as CDPH's LGBTQ Health & Outreach Program's Pride Health reception, "50 Years Since Stonewall: Collaborating to Achieve Health Equity," and held briefings and participated in interviews regarding mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).
On X (formerly Twitter), former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted, "Dr. Arwady has been a friend to the LGBTQ+ community, focused on HIV/AIDS and MPV. And she's been fighting to save lives through the heroin and fentanyl crises."
—Andrew Davis
