NASHVILLE – Elizabeth Harvey, PhD, MPH, has been named assistant commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health’s Division of Family Health and Wellness. In this position, Harvey will lead TDH efforts in maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, health promotion and supplemental nutrition.

‘’I’m very pleased Elizabeth has joined our team as we continue to offer many programs and services to support Tennessee families,’’ said Tennessee Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado, MD, FACP. ‘’Her many years of experience in child and maternal health will be a tremendous benefit to the Family Health & Wellness division and the department.’’

As assistant commissioner, Harvey will direct activities to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of Tennessee families. TDH’s Family Health and Wellness Division delivers and promotes public health services such as adolescent pregnancy prevention, breastfeeding support, breast and cervical cancer screening, diabetes prevention, early childhood programs, violence and injury prevention, newborn screening, tobacco prevention, and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. These programs serve Tennesseans in all 95 counties of the state through a network of local and regional health departments.

“I am excited to continue working with, and now leading, a dedicated team of professionals in the Division of Family Health and Wellness as we provide evidence-based programs and resources to families across our state,” Harvey said.

Harvey has served TDH since 2017 as a CDC field assignee from the Division of Reproductive Health. During this time, she helped build capacity in Tennessee’s data systems for maternal and child health and strengthened the division’s epidemiology workforce. She has also worked on initiatives to address infant and maternal mortality.

Harvey received her PhD in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she focused on epidemiological research methods. She received her Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, and her undergraduate degree is in history of science from Princeton University.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee.

Learn more about TDH services and programs at http://www.tn.gov/health.