Lexington gets new health commissioner

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – During a meeting held Wednesday evening, the Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health unanimously approved the hiring of Dr. Kraig Humbaugh as Commissioner of Health. Dr. Humbaugh, who is currently the senior deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, will begin his post in Lexington in June.

Dr. Humbaugh replaces the late Dr. Rice C. Leach, who died April 1, 2016, at age 75 following a battle with cancer. He had been commissioner of health since March 2011.

Dr. Humbaugh has extensive experience in public health, including epidemiology of communicable diseases, emergency preparedness and response, as well as background as a pediatrician. He describes himself as a “prevention-oriented, data-driven public health physician and epidemiologist.”

“We are very excited to have Dr. Humbaugh join us as the next Commissioner of Health,” said Paula Anderson, chair of the Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health. “In addition to his exceptional background in public health, he has widespread leadership experience on the state level. He also knows Kentucky and has worked closely with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department on many previous projects. All of those attributes made him the right choice to lead our health department.”

Dr. Humbaugh has been serving as the state health department’s director of the Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning since July 2004. He previously served as medical director for the Louisville Metro Health Department where he also was the interim director of health. He began his medical career as a pediatrician, which included a year in Russia.

Dr. Humbaugh earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his medical degree from Yale University. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Otago in New Zealand and received a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.