DeKalb’s new health director has overseen COVID-19 response for months
The DeKalb County Board of Health announced Monday that Dr. Sandra Valenciano has been appointed as its permanent district health director.
She was chosen as the interim health director in April after longtime health director Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford was tapped for a job within President Joe Biden’s administration. Valenciano had to navigate DeKalb through the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing its testing and vaccination efforts.
According to a Monday news release by the DeKalb Board of Health, Valenciano was officially appointed to her new role July 1. Before her stint as interim director, she served as the board’s medical director for the division of community health and prevention services.
Valenciano earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a master’s degree in public health from Tulane University and a doctorate from the Boston University School of Medicine. She’s also a board-certified physician in internal medicine.
She specialized in respiratory diseases and led domestic outbreak responses while with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before working with Emory Healthcare, the Atlanta Veterans Administration and the Georgia Department of Public Health. She was assigned to DeKalb in April 2020 to assist with the COVID-19 response.
DeKalb has been one of the most aggressive counties when it comes to incentivizing residents to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The county has offered $100 incentives for shots, which has drawn thousands to county-sponsored vaccination drive-thrus. According to the board of health, roughly 47% of DeKalb residents have been fully vaccinated.
For more information on the DeKalb Board of Health, visit dekalbhealth.net or call 404-294-3700.
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
