Air District announces Dr. Rohan Radhakrishna as new health officer

As health officer, Dr. Radhakrishna serves as the Air District’s chief subject matter expert on public and environmental health, helping the public, policymakers and impacted communities better understand the relationship between air pollution exposure and health.

“Protecting air quality is fundamentally about protecting public health,” said Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the Air District. “Dr. Radhakrishna brings deep experience at the intersection of medicine, public health, environmental justice and community engagement. His leadership will strengthen the Air District’s ability to connect our work to the health of Bay Area residents, especially in communities most impacted by air pollution.”

Dr. Radhakrishna joins the Air District after serving as deputy director and chief equity officer for the California Department of Public Health, where he was appointed by Governor Newsom and confirmed by the Senate to provide leadership on statewide strategies to address health inequities across California. He led the Office of Health Equity and substantially grew the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch. He previously served as deputy health officer for Contra Costa County, where he helped lead public health communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfire smoke and extreme heat events, and hazardous materials incidents. He has had prior experience working with the Air District as a member of the Community Steering Committee, representing the county, for the Richmond-North Richmond-San Pablo AB 617 process, which successfully developed a community emission reduction plan.

“Air pollution is not an abstract issue. It harms our lungs, hearts, brains and contributes to cancer and many diseases. It affects all of our well-being, especially our children, older adults, outdoor workers and communities facing disproportionate environmental burdens,” said Dr. Rohan Radhakrishna, health officer of the Air District. “I am honored to join the Air District and help advance work that connects science, public health and community voice in service of reducing environmental inequities and mitigating climate change and its health impacts. I’m hopeful that with community engagement and multi-sector coalitions we can promote healthy air, healthy people, and a healthy planet.”

During his state service, Dr. Radhakrishna was the California Health and Human Services Secretary designee on the cabinet-level Strategic Growth Council, the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program, and the Health in All Policies Taskforce. Before his public agency leadership roles, Dr. Radhakrishna was the chair of Family and Adult Medicine at Contra Costa Health Services. He has over a decade of clinical experience with overburdened and underserved residents across four Bay Area counties, including as a board-certified family physician in Richmond-San Pablo, providing direct care to West Contra Costa County families.

Dr. Radhakrishna earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco. He holds a master’s degree in public health and a master’s degree in data science and research from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his bachelor’s degree in human biology with honors in Latin American studies from Stanford University. He has learned from impacted environmental justice communities during his time as a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador and as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in India.

View press release(271 Kb PDF, 2 pgs, posted 7/6/2026).