Announcing the appointment of Cheryl Bettigole MD, MPH, as the new Executive Director of the Penn Center for Public Health
December 10, 2025
I am pleased to announce that as of January 1, 2026, Cheryl Bettigole MD, MPH, Professor of Clinical Family Medicine and Community Health at Penn with a secondary appointment as Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, will become the new Executive Director of the Penn Center for Public Health.
Bringing together communities, scholars, and leaders to advance public health through collaboration, innovation, and equity, the Penn Center for Public Health (CPH) is grounded in four pillars: research, education, community partnerships, and policy and practice. Founded in 2007 by the Provost’s Office and led by the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (FMCH) beginning in 2023, CPH serves as the central catalyst of and convener for public health at Penn.
Dr. Bettigole brings deep experience in public health to this role. She served as Health Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia from 2021 to 2024 and previously as the Director of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Dr. Bettigole also served as the Chief Medical Officer of a Federally Qualified Health Center and as a family physician and clinical director in the city health centers. As Health Commissioner, she led the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, oversaw the development of a five-year strategic plan, implemented strategies for expanding access to primary care, and worked with partners inside and outside of city government to pass innovative public health policies, including a groundbreaking air toxics regulation. For the past year, she has been serving as the Director of Public Health Integration in CPH. In that role, she has been working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and community leaders to develop innovative solutions to the causes of premature mortality in the city.
“Public health works most effectively when we bring together people with a wide range of expertise to help craft solutions to the problems we face,” said Dr. Bettigole. “I’m tremendously excited about the potential of the Penn Center for Public Health to serve as a convener for these critical conversations, to help build evidence-based recommendations for policy and programmatic solutions that address the systemic drivers of poor health, and to come together to help tackle the top causes of years of potential life lost locally, nationally, and internationally. At this fraught time, CPH can also serve as a source for science-based public health information, helping to fill the growing void at the federal level.”
Dr. Bettigole succeeds Richard C. Wender MD, as the Executive Director of CPH, whom we thank for his enthusiastic and thoughtful leadership. Having led the Center since 2022, Dr. Wender has guided the Center through a period of renewal and strategic growth following its intensive pandemic-era focus on COVID-19 response. The Center has reestablished and expanded its programming to address pressing public health challenges through workforce development, education, and community engagement. A hallmark of Dr. Wender’s leadership has been the successful integration of the CPH and the Master of Public Health program into the Department of MFCH, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and aligning academic training with community-based practice. Through his vision and leadership, Dr. Wender has positioned the Center as a vital hub for advancing public health scholarship and practice at Penn and beyond.
At this critical moment in pursuing essential public health goals, Penn is fortunate to have Dr. Bettigole’s experience, wisdom, and passion to advance our work and increase the visibility of public health at Penn. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Cheryl Bettigole as the new Executive Director of the Penn Center for Public Health.
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Jon Epstein, MD
Dean