Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for Health
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
My goal is to create a sustainable, strengths-based public health system that supports and protects the health of all Michiganders. Understanding that no state or local health department can do this alone, I want to leverage policy and non-traditional partnerships to create environments and systems that improve health.
BOLD SOLUTION: Dr. Khaldun developed a collaborative coalition composed of 25 organizational members from social service organizations, foundations, clinics, hospitals, and business partners to develop a comprehensive community health assessment. This assessment engaged over 1,200 Detroiters and will serve as a roadmap for collaborative public health efforts in Detroit.
Five Questions for Joneigh
Dr. Khaldun sets an example by getting her flu shot in the ER where she works. She’s both a practicing ER doctor and a staunch public health advocate.
1. Who or what inspired you to enter the field of public health?
As a little girl, I remember knowing my grandmother had a heart condition, and trying to figure out ways to get her to stop smoking. At the time, that meant hiding her cigarettes! Of course, that didn’t work, but I think I early on realized there were so many things we could do as a society to keep people healthy. As an ER doctor, I treat so many people who are victims of unnecessary violence, who have strokes because they cannot afford their medications, or who have uncontrolled asthma because of unhealthy housing. We can have such a broad impact in public health, and that is why I have devoted my career to it.
2. What is one of the most interesting projects you’ve worked on in public health?
I loved my work at the Detroit Health Department developing a strategy to address unintended teen pregnancy. We really nailed it with community engagement — youth were involved in the design of our new clinical network, developed the public messages, and were the face of our public campaign. Our role in public health is to elevate the voices of and listen to community members, and that’s what we did in Detroit with our iDecide project.
3. What would success in public health look like to you?
A society where there are no health inequities and every person has a chance to lead a healthy and productive life.
4. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A doctor, lawyer, and astronaut.
5. Describe yourself in three words.
Passionate, persistent, empathetic.
For over a decade, Dr. Joneigh Slaughter Khaldun has successfully led efforts to improve the health of communities across the country. She is currently the Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for Health in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In those roles, she provides overall medical guidance for the State of Michigan and oversees public health, Medicaid, public hospitals, behavioral health, and mental health services. She was previously the Director and Health Officer for Detroit’s Health Department, where she spearheaded new initiatives that addressed lead poisoning, teen pregnancy prevention, and outreach to people living in foreclosed homes. Prior to moving to her home state of Michigan, she was the Chief Medical Officer for the Baltimore City Health Department, where she oversaw seven clinics and led efforts to address the opioid epidemic. In her previous roles, she helped develop a hospital-based violence prevention program in Brooklyn, N.Y., and led development of a multi-pronged approach to youth violence prevention in Washington, D.C. She also served as a fellow in the Obama Administration’s Office of Health Reform, where she supported implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Dr. Khaldun holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and MD from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her emergency medicine residency at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was elected chief resident in her final year. After residency, she attended George Washington University, where she completed her MPH and fellowship in health policy.
