Detroit Mayor Sheffield appoints Ali Abazeed as city's new chief public health officer

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield on Monday appointed former Dearborn Public Health Officer Ali Abazeed as Detroit's new chief public health officer.

Abazeed will be tasked with partnering with other city departments "to build internal policies that advance core public health principles in all operations, from economic development and transportation to public works and beyond," according to the city. He will also focus on chronic disease mitigation and reducing the city's infant mortality rates.

"City government touches people's lives in countless ways, which means there are countless ways we can apply public health considerations into the work every department is doing," Sheffield said in a statement. "Ali's work in Dearborn has shown the impact this can have and that's the vision he is bringing to the Detroit Health Department. We are very fortunate to have someone with his balance of national health policy and strategy building and on-the-ground community health experience to lead our work."    

The Michigan native grew up in Dearborn and spent roughly five years at the federal level as a public health advisor with the National Institutes of Health and a presidential management fellow with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. After returning to Michigan in 2022, Abazeed became a member of Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud's administration as the founding director of public health.

Abazeed earned three degrees from the University of Michigan, including a Master of Public Health degree and a Master of Public Policy. Officials say that during his time in Dearborn, Abazeed helped reduce drug overdoses in Dearborn, expand air quality monitoring and bring the Rx Kids program to the city.

"Public health is the foundation of opportunity. When children are healthy and neighborhoods are thriving, everything else becomes possible," said Abazeed. "Under Mayor Sheffield's leadership, Detroit has an opportunity to become a national model for what bold public health can achieve. The decisions we make across every department can help Detroiters live long and healthy lives.