Dr. Raynard E. Washington serves as Acting Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health, where he leads more than 6,000 employees working to protect the public’s health and safety and to make good health possible for all New Jerseyans.

Prior to this role, Dr. Washington served as Public Health Director for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. In this role he led a multidisciplinary team of nearly 1,000 public health professionals working daily to protect and promote health and advance health equity among 1.2 million county residents. During his tenure, increasing access to affordable, healthcare and public health services was achieved through innovative investments and partnerships, including opening of new healthcare facilities, launching a mobile health and dental initiative and establishing school-based virtual physical and behavioral healthcare.

Before moving to Charlotte, Dr. Washington served as Chief Epidemiologist and Deputy Health Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia, where he provided leadership in public health practice, epidemiology, and the control of diseases. During his tenure, he advanced the expansion and integration of public health data systems, led the development of the City’s community violence prevention strategy, and completed the first-ever regional Community Health Assessment in partnership with nine health care systems across a five-county region.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Washington served as a health research scientist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, where he developed and produced research analyses on health care markets, policy, organizational behavior, and health care delivery. His work helped inform federal health policy and evaluate early impacts of the Affordable Care Act. He also taught as an adjunct Professor at Temple University and American University.

He earned his BS in biological sciences, MPH in epidemiology, and PhD in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh.

If you would like to request a meeting or event attendance with Acting Commissioner Washington, please fill out the proper form below. We will review your request and get back to you as soon as possible to discuss further details and availability.

• Form OC-18, request for meeting with the Commissioner
• Form OC-19, Commissioner Event Attendance Request

Thank you for your interest in engaging with Acting Commissioner Washington.

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