The Harford County Health Department welcomed the new Harford County Health Officer, David Bishai, MD, MPH, PhD, earlier this month. Dr. Bishai’s role is instrumental while continuing the fight against COVID-19 and under his leadership, the Harford County Health Department will remain committed to a collective approach to keeping Harford County a place where people can be healthy.
Dr. Bishai, a Maryland native, attended Harvard College as an undergraduate, received his medical degree
from UC San Diego and his Masters in Public Health from UCLA. He earned a PhD from Wharton Business
School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health where his research and teaching focuses on the economics of local health
departments and their role in population health and economic prosperity. He is board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics and practices in the Emergency Department of University of Maryland St Joseph’s Medical Center in Towson, MD.
Dr. Bishai is also a published author and his latest book, Achieving Health for All: Primary Health Care in Action focuses on case studies of countries that worked with their citizens to transform their communities so
that health would improve for everyone. With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, he is
leading a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins on a project to identify and study US Counties that had exceptional success in controlling COVID-19 case rates, death rates, economic devastation, and inequity. The results of this research will be immediately applied to improve the response to the epidemic in Harford County and other US counties.
County Executive, Barry Glassman, is eager to continue the close relationship with the health department and says, “Harford County Government enjoys a close working relationship with our local Health Department and
we welcome Dr. Bishai as we hope to move through this pandemic towards recovery.”
Dr. Bishai succeeds Dr. Russell Moy, who retired in September, after 30 years of state service. Marcy Austin, who has been Acting Health Officer since September, and an employee of the health department for 18 years,
will resume her previous position as Deputy Health Officer.
County Council President Vincenti says “Mrs. Austin has been instrumental in making sure our citizens remain safe and healthy, while navigating through the Governor’s Executive Orders. My colleagues and I look forward to continuing our positive, working relationship with the Health Department as we welcome Dr. David Bishai as Health Officer. We feel strongly that his educational background and experience will benefit us greatly.”
