Harvard Medical School professor Michelle E. Morse was appointed as the New York City Health Departmentâs inaugural Chief Medical Officer and as Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness on Feb. 16, per a press release.
As the departmentâs first-ever Chief Medical Officer, Morseâs primary responsibilities will be to lead efforts to bridge public health and the health care sector, as well as to serve as a liaison between the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and local clinicians.
Morse said in an interview that the department created the role in response to a âmajor structural challengeâ in coordinating the large number of health systems across a city as expansive as New York.