Contra Costa County deputy health officer appointed to state's Health Equity office
Dr. Rohan Radhakrishna.
SAN PABLO, Calif. - A deputy health officer with Contra Costa County was recently appointed to the California Department of Public Health's Office of Health Equity, Contra Costa Health Services said Friday.
Dr. Rohan Radhakrishna, a family medicine doctor at West County health Center in San Pablo, will serve as the office's deputy director if his appointment is confirmed by the state Senate.
He is expected to oversee the office's efforts to reduce health disparities in the state's underserved communities, according to the county.
Radhakrishna said he was "humbled and honored" by the appointment.
"Ever since I was a nerdy high schooler in Kansas reading critical race theory and deep ecology, I've known that racism, socioeconomic inequity, and climate change are the greatest health threats of our past, present and future," he said.
Prior to the appointment, Radhakrishna had helped lead the county's COVID-19 pandemic response and served as CCHS' spokesperson for Spanish-language media.
He has also served as the co-chair of the California Conference of Local Health Officers' Health Equity Committee since 2019 and as Contra Costa Health Services' family and adult medicine department chair from 2015 to 2019.
"I am deeply grateful for Dr. Radhakrishna's leadership in our mission to care for and improve the health of all Contra Costans, with special attention to our most vulnerable community members," Contra Costa County Health Director Anna Roth said.
"It is a pleasure to work with him, and I am confident that his skill and energy will benefit all of California at this critical time," she said.