Board Expected to Name Chicago Pediatrician as Public Health Chief

A Chicago pediatrician is expected to be named the county’s next public health officer, officials said Saturday.

If his appointment is approved at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Dr. Robert M. Levin probably will begin working part time next month and take over full time from interim director Dr. Richard Ashby in late July or early August, Supervisor Judy Mikels said.

Levin’s appointment would end a six-month nationwide search to fill the $166,000-a-year post.

Levin, chairman of the pediatrics department at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Chicago, will be responsible for enforcing local and state health regulations along with protecting the public from infectious disease outbreaks.