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On Monday, July 26, Lamont announced that he is nominating Dr. Manisha Juthani to serve as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
Juthani is an infectious diseases physician at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, where she specializes in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of infections in older adults.
Lamont said that her most recent area of interest is "at the interface of infectious diseases and palliative care, including the role of antibiotics at the end of life."
The governor made note that Connecticut is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, making Juthani’s background even more crucial.
“Dr. Juthani’s background in infectious diseases will be a tremendous benefit to the people of Connecticut as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen our vaccination efforts,” Lamont said. “When seeking candidates to serve in this role, Dr. Juthani came recommended by many top experts in this field, and I am thrilled to have her join our administration.
“I’m incredibly proud that Connecticut is among the leading states in vaccinating our residents, but as this pandemic continues, we need to implement sound policies that will keep the rates of transmission as low as possible.”
Juthani completed her undergraduate training at the University of Pennsylvania, attended Cornell University Medical College, completed residency training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Campus, and was a chief resident at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
She has been at the Yale School of Medicine since 2002, joining the faculty full-time in 2016. Juthani assumed the role of infectious diseases fellowship program director in 2012.
If she is approved, Juthani will replace Dr. Deidre Gifford as the head of the state’s public health agency, who was appointed in an interim capacity earlier this year.
“(Gifford) has been a consistent source of reason and guidance as we’ve tried our best to implement decisions that are in the best interests of public health during this global pandemic,” Lamont said, noting that she will now serve as a Senior Advisor to the Governor.
“I am grateful to the civil servants at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Dr. Gifford, and Governor Lamont for leading us through this pandemic to date,” Juthani said. “Under Dr. Gifford’s leadership, I look forward to continuing their efforts related to COVID-19, mental health, health equity, health disparities, and access to healthcare going forward.”
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