FRANKFORT (March 3, 2017) – Dr. Jonathan Ballard, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, has been appointed as the new state public health epidemiologist and director of the Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning in the Department for Public Health (DPH), Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson announced on Friday.
As the state epidemiologist, Dr. Ballard will provide leadership and supervision for the division responsible for the control of communicable disease; disease surveillance and investigation; injury prevention and research; and vital statistics and health data.
“We are very excited to have Dr. Ballard join our team,” said CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson. “In addition to his exceptional academic credentials, he has a great deal of experience in the fields of medicine and public health. These attributes make him the right choice to serve as state epidemiologist.”
Dr. Ballard holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Louisville, a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Cambridge, England, a doctorate of medicine from the University of Louisville, and a master’s of public health degree from Dartmouth College. He is a double board certified physician in family medicine and preventive medicine, completing his medical residencies at Dartmouth College.
An assistant professor in the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kentucky for the past three years, Dr. Ballard has served as the Ambulatory Services Medical Director for the Department of Family and Community Medicine. There he led the practice to recent recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Dr. Ballard’s research in epidemiology and quality improvement has appeared in scientific journals, book chapters, and keynote addresses and presentations at the local, state, and national level.
“I am honored for the opportunity to help improve the health of Kentuckians and to work with the talented and dedicated people in the Department for Public Health and the Cabinet,” said Dr. Ballard.
A native of Bardstown, Dr. Ballard now resides in Versailles with his wife, a practicing attorney, and one-year-old daughter.
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