Dr. Cunningham selected as new MDH commissioner
By Patti Cullen, CAE | January 6, 2023 | All members
Dr. Brooke Cunningham has been chosen by Governor Walz as the new commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Commissioner Jan Malcolm’s term ended at noon on January 2, 2023, and Commissioner Cunningham took over at that time.
"As the leader of the Minnesota Department of Health’s equity work, Dr. Brooke Cunningham has demonstrated her skill as a leader and commitment to advancing the health and wellbeing of people across the state,” said Governor Walz. “She shares our vision of public health, and we are glad to have her leadership and expertise in our Administration.”
"I am thrilled to be appointed to lead the Department of Health at this critical time in the agency’s history,” said Brooke Cunningham. “As the agency transitions out of a pandemic response, its leaders and staff have a unique opportunity to reinvest in the foundational capabilities of public health. I aim to prioritize equity in our science, operations, and community partnerships, so that we can more effectively protect, maintain, and improve the health of all Minnesotans.”
About Dr. Brooke Cunningham
Prior to her appointment, she served as the assistant commissioner of the Health Equity Bureau at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). She identified strategies to advance health equity and supervised the Center for Health Equity, the Office of American Indian Health, the COVID-19 Health Equity Team, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office. Previously, as an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School, Cunningham’s teaching and scholarship broadly focused on race and medicine, including the use of race in medical decision-making, physicians’ preparation to address patients’ experiences of racism as part of routine clinical care, and provider and organizational factors associated with the uptake and integration of health equity into health care delivery. She provides primary care at the Community-University Health Care Clinic.
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Cunningham majored in history and African-American studies at the University of Virginia; received her doctorates in medicine and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania; trained in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center; and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Medica Research Institute (AcademyHealth).
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cunningham! We look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with MDH, and the commissioner’s office!
Patti Cullen, CAE | President/CEO |
pcullen@careproviders.org | 952-851-2487