Dr. Manisha Juthani, an infectious diseases physician at the Yale School of Medicine, first made an impression on Gov. Ned Lamont during a disagreement.
Last November, citing rising COVID case loads, Juthani and a few dozen of her colleagues wrote an open letter to the governor, calling on him to shut down indoor restaurant dining and gyms. The governor declined, but Juthani respected his decision.
"He... asked to talk to us," says Juthani, "invited me to his press conference to reiterate what I had already told him. That just tells me he's a leader that likes to have different voices at the table."
Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont introduced Dr. Juthani as Connecticut's next Public Health Commissioner, effective Sept. 20th. State lawmakers are expected to sign off on the choice next year.
"She's been very active helping us get the word out," says state COO Josh Geballe, "about how to keep yourself and keep your family safe. and more recently, by getting the word out about vaccines."
Juthani says the COVID-19 vaccines are the only way to leave the global pandemic behind, adding that she'll make a continued effort to encourage the hesitant: "We need to listen to them. We need to understand why they have been hesitant until now. Try to answer what it is that they're hesitant about. For some people, it's just knowing that people they know and trust and love and care about got it, and have been OK."
Dr. Juthani replaces Acting DPH Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford, who will continue as Commissioner of Social Services. The job has been open since the governor fired Renee Coleman-Mitchell in May of last year.
Juthani, originally from New York City, where her parents worked as physicians, will be the state's first Indian-American Cabinet member.