Nicole Dupuis-Witt will join Phoenix city government next month as its first public health adviser.

In her role, which begins Monday, Oct. 17, Dupuis-Witt will work with city departments toward “the achievement of public health objectives and in support of city priorities,” a release stated. The adviser position was approved by the Phoenix City Council in April. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the city sought professional consulting services to assist with Phoenix’s public health efforts in response to the pandemic.

“This expertise proved beneficial in advising the city’s strategic approach to pandemic recovery and response and emphasized the need to bring public health knowledge to the city on a permanent, full-time basis,” the release stated.

“The addition of public health expertise to our leadership team strengthens our ability to address public health needs across the city,” said City Manager Jeff Barton.

“Public health is a central tenet to many of the city’s top priorities, including heat response and mitigation, housing and homelessness, food systems, senior services, transportation and more. I am confident that Nicole's experience and data-driven approach will further position Phoenix as a resilient and prosperous place to live, work and play.” 

Dupuis Witt said she is honored to serve as the city’s first public health adviser.

“While COVID-19 will continue to be an important public health priority for the near future, I look forward to working with the community on other critical public health issues and the vision toward a healthier Phoenix.” 

Dupuis-Witt brings more than 15 years of experience to the job.

The city release stated she is “known as a champion of equitable approaches to health services and multi-sector, multi-partner collaborations that improve health outcomes for diverse communities.”

Her experience includes work in urban and rural districts across three countries, bridging local government, public health and nonprofit sectors. 

Most recently, Dupuis-Witt served as the CEO for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in Ontario, Canada – a role she took on at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyond COVID-19, she also has led “comprehensive approaches to complex issues such as the opioid crisis, community food insecurity, mental health services and more,” according to the release.  

Dupuis-Witt holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Arizona State University.