January 11, 2024

Dr. Angela Dunn Leaving SLCo to Join CDC

(SALT LAKE COUNTY)— Dr. Angela Dunn, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD), announced today that she is leaving her position at SLCoHD for a new role with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); her last day at SLCoHD will be February 16. The Salt Lake County Board of Health will begin an executive director search immediately.

 "The hardest part about leaving Salt Lake County is leaving the honor of working side-by-side with each and every one of the Salt Lake County Health Department staff," said Dr. Dunn. "I am fortunate to have such a passionate, talented, and dedicated team here at SLCoHD. Despite being exhausted mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, the team wanted to use the pandemic to improve their public health practice. They found the strength and will to persevere, supported by a strong and resilient leadership team."

Dr. Dunn joined SLCoHD in June 2021 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. She brought to the department a renewed focus on data, innovation, community outreach, and community-led decision making. She successfully led the department through the latter half of the pandemic, as well as a department reorganization and the 2022 mpox outbreak.

“The Board expresses our thanks to Dr. Dunn for her exceptional service to our community,” said Dan Eckersley, chair of the Salt Lake County Board of Health. “Her passion for public health has left a lasting impact on the department and Board, and we commend her leadership, expertise, and commitment to improving health outcomes for everyone in Salt Lake County. We are grateful for her dedicated service and wish her continued success.”

“It’s been my pleasure to work with Dr. Dunn,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “Her ability to make critical decisions, grounded in science and compassion, has been invaluable to our community during challenges such as the COVID pandemic and beyond. As Dr. Dunn embarks on her new journey, I have no doubt that she will continue to make a profound impact on public health. On behalf of Salt Lake County, I extend my gratitude for her service and wish her the very best in the future.”

Dr. Dunn will remain in Salt Lake County as she joins the CDC team. Her role at the CDC will be to ensure state and local health departments nationwide have the resources they need to effectively and efficiently investigate and respond to public health threats. She and the Salt Lake County Health Department will continue to partner to ensure the safety and health of Salt Lake County residents.

Prior to joining SLCoHD, Dr. Dunn was state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health and an epidemic intelligence service officer for the CDC, where she responded to the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. She received her medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and her Master of Public Health in epidemiology from San Diego State University.