St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer has named a health director more than a year after the previous one resigned — and it's a name that may sound familiar.
Dr. Faisal Khan, who has been the head of the St. Louis County health department, will become the city's health director next week.
Spencer said Khan's track record of public health leadership and familiarity with the region make him the right person for the job.
"This is a critical role in my cabinet and I am confident he is the right person at the right time to lead our efforts addressing the serious public health risks facing St. Louisans," the mayor said in a press release. "His proven leadership and experience will help us make our community healthier and more resilient."
Khan headed St. Louis County's Department of Public Health during the most contentious days of the coronavirus pandemic, leading the county to have among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state.
But Khan, a medical epidemiologist, also clashed with protesters over mask mandates – and made national headlines when he made an obscene gesture at a public meeting. Khan said he did it after people were physically aggressive and called him racial slurs.
However, video footage did not capture the confrontation he described.
In an interview with NPR's Kelsey Snell, Khan called public health "more of a calling than a job" and named former National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Tony Fauci as his idol. Khan also spoke out about the abuse many health department staff members had experienced during the pandemic.
"The alarming part of this … is that 270 or more of my counterparts across the country have either quit or walked away from their jobs or been forced out for political reasons and for recommending the right thing to do to deal with the pandemic," he said in the interview. "And that is a loss of intellect as well as expertise that is not easily replaced."
Khan resigned from the Department of Public Health in 2022 and went on to lead the health department in King County, Washington. He was let go last year during a government restructuring, according to reporting from the Seattle Times.
"I have spent my career studying and addressing the root causes of health outcomes," said the future director in a press release. "I know with the team the city has in place, we can make a real difference in the health and quality of life for St. Louis residents."
Khan did not respond to STLPR's request for an interview.
Victoria Anwuri, who has been interim director, will continue in her role as the St. Louis health commissioner.
Khan's predecessor, Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, was also a prominent voice that advocated for stricter public health measures during the coronavirus pandemic. She left her job soon after Spencer defeated former Mayor Tishaura Jones. Hlatshwayo Davis now serves as executive vice president at the Missouri Foundation for Health.
Khan will start as health director on Monday.
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