Dr. Karen Hacker, who has served as the director of the Allegheny County Health Department since September 2013, will leave that position at the end of July.
She has accepted a position as director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, a part of the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As director of the Health Department, Hacker created the Office of Violence Prevention, which approaches the issue of violence as a public health concern.
In addition, she has led her department’s work in air quality, including putting more inspectors and environmental enforcement agents in place, instituting larger fines and taking strong regulatory actions to improve the air quality in the Mon Valley.