Editor’s note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.
Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health who spearheaded the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was fired on Friday by Mayor Brandon Johnson, the mayor’s office said.
Alongside former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Arwady was a driver of the city’s COVID strategy throughout the pandemic and became know for holding regular press conferences as well as weekly live “Ask Arwady” sessions on Facebook and Twitter to answer real-time COVID questions.
In an email Friday evening, Johnson’s office confirmed Arwady’s firing, but didn’t provide a reason or any details.
Earlier this year, following Lightfoot’s reelection loss, questions swirled about whether Arwady would stay on in the next administration. In an interview with NBC 5 health reporter Lauren Petty in mid-April, the CDPH director said that she was “hopeful” to continue on as the department’s leader.
“I definitely hope to stay,” she said. “I’m really proud of the work that the Chicago Department of Public Health has done. I’ve really enjoyed my job, even with how crazy it’s been with COVID.”
Questions about Arwady’s future in the department arose during a forum one month earlier where Johnson indicated that he would seek a leadership change.
“We have different views of public health, so no, she will not stay on in my administration,” he said during a March mayoral forum hosted by WBEZ.
Johnson softened that stance in the following weeks, including in an interview with WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel.
Initially joining CDPH in 2015 as chief medical officer, Arwady previously worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer and assisted with responses to international outbreaks such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola, according to the city of Chicago website.
A graduate of medical school at Yale University, Arwady received a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University.
Regardless of whether she remained at the helm of the department, Arwady said she hoped to stay in Chicago.
“I love Chicago. This is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in my life, and you know, I love public health,” she said in March. “Time will tell, but this is the job. This is a great fit for me right now.”
