Cilenti named interim health director for Orange County
| June 08, 2011 | |
Dr. Dorothy Cilenti
Dorothy Cilenti, DrPH, has been named interim health director for Orange County, N.C., until the Orange County Board of Health identifies a permanent replacement for former director Dr. Rosemary Summers, who retired May 31. Cilenti is deputy director of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH), the outreach unit of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health.
Prior to joining NCIPH, Cilenti was health director for both Chatham and Alamance counties, and was part of the State Health Director’s management team in Raleigh. She earned her Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health degrees in maternal and child health at UNC.
“The Board of Health is pleased to have identified Dorothy Cilenti, a highly qualified public health professional who has experience leading a health department, to serve as interim health director,” said Anissa I. Vines, PhD, chair of the Orange County Board of Health and epidemiology research assistant professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Dr. Cilenti will manage the daily operations of the department with the full support of a strong and well-trained health department staff. Having [her] serve as interim health director will enable the board of health to focus its attention on identifying a top-notch health director for Orange County.”
“I am excited about using this unique opportunity to better link academia and public health practice,” Cilenti said.
Anna Schenck, associate dean for public health practice at the UNC public health school and director of NCIPH and the school’s Public Health Leadership Program, said Cilenti’s new role will benefit both Orange County and the school.”This is an excellent opportunity for [us] to connect to the public health practice community,” she said. “Dr. Cilenti has the expertise necessary to oversee the complex operations of a health department. Sharing leaders across organizations provides opportunities for growth and increased connections between the School and the concerns of public health practitioners.”
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UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
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