Health Commission holds public hearing, seeks community input on hiring next San Francisco public health director

President Chao opened a public hearing Sept. 4 asking residents to help shape the job description for San Francisco epartment of Public Health's next director and set a timeline for recruitment and vetting.

The commission directed the Department of Human Resources, working with Berkeley Search Consultants, to prepare a candidate profile and return to the commission at its October 2 meeting for discussion and possible adoption. Kate Howard, deputy director of DHR, said the posting will be open for roughly one month, after which DHR will help vet applicants and the commission will interview finalists before forwarding up to three names to the mayor for final selection. The commission left the public comment period open via email through Sept. 21.

Community speakers urged the commission to prioritize candidates who combine operational management skills with deep community knowledge. "It is essential the new director has specific experience working with diverse community-based agencies to address San Francisco's health needs," said Debbie Lerman, representing the San Francisco Human Services Network, who urged a leader who values nonprofit partnerships and is "not solely compliance driven." Lance Toma, CEO of San Francisco Community Health Center and co-chair of the HIV/AIDS Providers Network, asked for a director with public health training and "a clearly articulated harm reduction philosophy."

Speakers from UCSF and the hospital community emphasized the need for a director who can collaborate with academic partners and manage large clinical operations. Several commenters, including Dr. Zeya Malawa, a pediatrician, urged that racial health disparities — particularly poor outcomes for Black residents — be a central priority for the next director. "Black children in San Francisco have 2 and a half times the rate of hospitalization related to asthma," Dr. Malawa told the commission, urging an "ambitious racial health equity plan." The commission did not debate or verify the figures during the hearing; speakers' statistics were presented as testimony.

Commissioners said the public testimony reinforced themes they will ask DHR to incorporate: management experience for a department with roughly $2.2 billion in annual budgetary responsibility, clinical and operational knowledge, and a strong commitment to health equity and community partnerships. President Chao said the commission will seek a candidate who can lead both the department's direct care services and its population-health work while remaining accessible to staff and community partners. The commission asked DHR and consultants to return a draft job description on Oct. 2 for further discussion.