Dr. Kathryn Hall Named Chief Public Health Officer for the City of Cambridge

• Oct 19, 2026

Dr. Kathryn Hall Named Chief Public Health Officer for the City of Cambridge

Experienced public health leader and scientist brings more than 20 years of leadership across government, academic medicine, and research institutions

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-north communities, announced that Kathryn Hall, PhD, MPH, has been named chief public health officer for the City of Cambridge, effective October 19, 2026. In this role, Dr. Hall will oversee the nationally accredited Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) and lead strategic programs to advance health equity and improve the health of Cambridge residents.

Dr. Hall brings more than two decades of progressive leadership spanning public health, academic medicine, research, and biotechnology. From 2021 to 2024, she served as deputy commissioner of population health and health equity at the Boston Public Health Commission, where she was part of the leadership team guiding the Commission's communicable disease strategy, COVID-19 pandemic response, and health equity programming, and helped build vital partnerships across municipal agencies, community-based organizations, and local health systems.

Most recently, Dr. Hall served as senior vice president for research and programs at the New York Academy of Medicine, overseeing initiatives in maternal and child health, youth programs, chronic disease, wellness, and healthy aging. She is also a part-time assistant professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

"Dr. Hall is a thoughtful, visionary leader who is committed to data-driven, equity-centered public health strategy," said Assaad J. Sayah, MD, CHA's chief executive officer and commissioner of public health for the City of Cambridge. "She is exceptionally equipped to guide the CPHD across its core priorities, including community health and wellness, communicable disease prevention, emergency preparedness, environmental health, epidemiology, regulatory enforcement, and school health."

"I've had deep ties to Cambridge for most of my career, and returning to serve this community feels like coming home," said Dr. Hall. "I'm excited to join the team at CHA and the Cambridge Public Health Department, and to build on the important work they're already doing for the people of this great city."

"I'm very pleased to welcome Dr. Hall to the City's leadership team," shared Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang. "She recognizes the exciting possibilities for public health in Cambridge given our community's resources in city government, healthcare, academia and the biotech industry. Dr. Hall's rich experience across these sectors positions her uniquely to develop partnerships that draw on Cambridge's strengths to elevate public health to new heights."

Earlier in her career, Dr. Hall spent a decade in the Cambridge biotech sector focusing on drug discovery and development before joining the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She holds a PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University, a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Master of Arts in Visual Media Arts from Emerson College.