The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated longstanding vulnerabilities in public health disease response, lab reporting, technology, and our workforce capacity to address a surge in a novel respiratory virus. Prior to COVID, I had gained extensive experience leading data-driven HIV and STD programs in San Francisco and collaborating across siloes improve population health outcomes. Stepping up to lead San Francisco’s COVID-19 contact tracing program, I witnessed the ability of public health to rapidly improvise new structures, remove red-tape, cultivate a new workforce and transform data systems.

San Francisco implemented one of the nation’s most intensive, comprehensive, and multipronged COVID-19 pandemic responses. As COVID-19 response priorities shifted during the past two years, I utilized the CHIP to understand public health lessons learned during the pandemic, identify opportunities to improve and ensure limited resources are used to build systems that drive meaningful public health action.