Napa County Names New Chief Public Health Officer

San Mateo’s assistant health officer Dr. Karen Relucio has been named Napa County’s Chief Officer of Public Health. Relucio’s appointment has been added to the June 23 meeting agenda and is expected to become effective July 6.

Relucio is replacing Dr. Karen Smith, who was appointed director of the California Department of Public Health by Gov. Jerry Brown in February. Relucio has held her current position since 2006 and has also served as co-chair of the Association of Bay Area Health Officials Public Health Preparedness subcommittee for the past four years.

“Dr. Relucio brings with her a wealth of public health knowledge and expertise that will greatly benefit our community,” said Napa County Health and Human Services Agency director Howard Himes.

Relucio is an HIV specialist, board certified in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine. She attended Rush Medical College in Chicago and completed her internship and residency training at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. In 2003, she completed her fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at Stanford University Medical Center. She also boasts a wealth of experience in public health emergency planning, communicable disease control, and influenza surveillance and preparation, according to the county.

Read more about Karen Relucio here.