Mayor Mitchell, Board of Health Appoint Stephanie Sloan as Health Department Director

Nine-year City employee with broad public health experience takes helm following leadership role in COVID-19 response

New Bedford, Massachusetts – Mayor Mitchell announced today that Stephanie Sloan, MPH, has been appointed director of the New Bedford Health Department.

The New Bedford Board of Health formally appointed Sloan to the role in a unanimous vote on June 15th. Sloan had served as Acting Director since late March, following the February departure of former Director Damon Chaplin.

Sloan has worked for the Health Department full-time since February 2014 and became assistant director in March 2020. As assistant director, her primary duties involved coordinating the Health Department’s COVID-19 response, including citywide vaccine clinics, contact tracing, epidemiology, and community-based outreach and services during the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of public health departments, and we are incredibly proud of and inspired by the response of our Health Department,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “Stephanie rose to the challenge and demonstrated extraordinary professionalism, innovation, and leadership under trying circumstances. I’m confident that the City’s health is in good hands as she leads the department in its next chapter.”

Sloan began in the Health Department as an intern in 2013, supporting the tobacco compliance program while earning her master’s degree in public health from Boston University. She joined the department full-time in the nursing division, focusing on emergency preparedness. She then became the program manager for the Prevention Wellness Trust Fund grant, which brought more than $1 million annually to the department and local partners in public health for four years. That led to her service as the department’s grant auditor, and then assistant director.

“It has been my pleasure to work with Stephanie for the two years that I’ve served on the board,” Board of Health member Dr. Kimberly Griffith said. “She brings exceptional knowledge, preparation, and compassion to every Board meeting, as well as in her day-to-day interactions with staff and City residents alike, and I am confident she will continue to demonstrate these qualities as Director.”

Sloan grew up in Dartmouth and lives in New Bedford with her husband and three young children. She leads a department of nearly 30 employees.

“I am honored and humbled to work with such a dedicated team of public health professionals,” Sloan said. “From food permitting and housing inspections to wellness initiatives and responding to community needs, I am excited to build on our department’s foundation of strong programs and services to ensure a healthy and safe city for everyone.”

The New Bedford Health Department addresses a broad scope of public health issues, including but not limited to substance misuse, tobacco control, disease prevention and response, and promotion of health and wellness services for everyone in New Bedford. The department’s sanitarians are responsible for enforcing housing, food, and environmental health codes to protect residents who live in the City’s approximately 41,500 housing units and all those who patronize the City’s approximately 700 permanent or temporary food establishments. The department also operates the Municipal Marine Lab at Fort Taber, which ensures water safety at beaches and other public venues in New Bedford and across southeastern Massachusetts.