Julie Morita

Born and raised in Chicago, Dr. Morita was appointed as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health in early 2015. Under Dr. Morita’s leadership, CDPH developed and launched Healthy Chicago 2.0, a four-year plan to assure healthy equity by addressing the social determinants of health. In addition, CDPH led efforts to pass a number of tobacco prevention initiatives including raising the age for purchasing tobacco products to 21 years. Previously, Dr. Morita served as CDPH’s Chief Medical Officer, leading the city’s response to the pandemic influenza outbreak where she developed a system to distribute more than one million doses of vaccine across the city, as well as the city’s efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of the Ebola virus. Dr. Morita has served as a member of the Institute of Medicines Committee on Community Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and the Illinois Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Prior to her time with CDPH, Dr. Morita served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the CDC and worked in private practice. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical School, Dr. Morita lives in the City with her husband—a  physician—and their two children.