Denise Fair

Denise Z. Fair serves as Chief Public Health Officer for the Detroit Health Department, appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan in September 2019. In this role, she directs strategies to protect the health and wellbeing of residents through a variety of various public health programs. Over the last several months, Denise and her team of more than 250 employees have been responsible for leading efforts in the COVID-19 pandemic to keep Detroiters protected.

Prior to leading Detroit’s Health Department, Ms. Fair served as a group practice director at Henry Ford Health System, providing executive oversight for primary care clinics and multi-specialty medical centers. She also served as senior consultant and program administrator for Trinity Health System prior.

Ms. Fair also currently serves on the state’s Public Health Advisory Council, appointed by Gov. Whitmer to represent local public health officials. She is also on the boards of the Public Health Foundation and Detroit Authority.

She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, a Master of Public Health from The University of California at Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration from the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University. She also is board certified in health care management from the American College of Healthcare Executives.