Dr. Pierre Vigilance, Director of the DC Department of Health in Washington, DC has been reelected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and will formally assume those duties in July at the Association’s annual meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. As part of NACCHO’s board, Vigilance provides public health leadership to address the District’s health needs and offers health policy leadership on the national level.
“It has been a pleasure serving on the NACCHO Board, and I am very pleased and appreciative to have been reelected to serve on the Board for another year, said, Vigilance. “NACCHO has proven to be essential in protecting and improving the health of people in our community, and it is truly an honor to be associated with such a dedicated organization. I am proud of all the work we have accomplished this past year, and I look forward to future collaborations with my peers.”
Dr. Vigilance was appointed as Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health in April 2008. As the public health agency for the Nation’s Capital, the department serves the District’s population of almost 600,000 as well as those who work and spend recreational time in Washington, DC. The department has an annual budget of $268 million and more than 800 staff. In recent years the agency has promoted health and wellness through improved physical activity and nutrition projects such as community-level “Ward Walks”, and the Healthy Corner Store Initiative. Under his tenure, the agency has made extensive use of data to drive the agency’s activities. He has focused attention on improving data collection and analysis which has led to the publication of the District’s HIV/AIDS epidemiology reports, the first city-level Preventable Causes of Death Report, the Obesity Report and the Obesity Action Plan.
Dr. Vigilance received his MD and Master of Public Health degrees from the Johns Hopkins University and is residency-trained in Emergency Medicine.
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's 2,800 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities.