LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A physician with more than 40 years of experience in epidemiology and public health work has been hired to take on the job of Lake County’s Public Health officer.

On Tuesday, the Lake County Board of Supervisors emerged from closed session to announce that Robert S. Bernstein, MD, MS, MPH, PhD, has been appointed Lake County’s next Public Health officer, effective Sept. 2.

"We are very pleased Dr. Bernstein has agreed to serve as Lake County’s next Public Health Officer,” said Eddie Crandell, chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors. “His passion for public health is clear, and his breadth of experiences and relationships will be a great asset to Lake County.”

“The Board of Supervisors’ confidence is very much appreciated,” said Bernstein. “This opportunity to bring the experiences I have gained over my career to make a true difference in Lake County’s rural communities is really special. I am really excited to get to know everyone and promote healthy communities, alongside the Board of Supervisors and Director Arton and the Health Services team.”

He succeeds Dr. Noemi Doohan, who was appointed in August of 2023. Doohan resigned effective March 31, at which point the board appointed Anju Goel, MD, MPH, for a temporary six-month term through Sept. 30.

In addition to his medical degree and certification as a specialist in public health and preventive medicine, Dr. Bernstein holds a Master of Public Health (Health Services Research and Administration) from Johns Hopkins University and likewise completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Yale University and a PhD in Biochemistry.

“Over more than four decades of broad-based epidemiology- and Public Health-focused work, Dr. Bernstein has become an established and trusted authority which he practices with scientific rigor, personal integrity, and cultural humility,” the county said in Bernstein’s hiring announcement. “He has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, on a wide variety of Preventive Medicine and Public Health topics, based on work carried out in the United States, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.”

Dr. Bernstein recently served as a medical consultant for the California Department of Public Health and has held leadership positions with state and county agencies in Florida and California, including rural Butte and Tuolumne counties.

His professional journey has likewise included training as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Disease Detective” in the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, and CDC assignments with USAID, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Dr. Bernstein has been relied on to provide recommendations to the president of the United States and directors of the CDC and FEMA, among many others, the county reported.

“Teaching and mentorship roles in applied epidemiology, including long-term work as an adjunct assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, have deepened his theoretical understanding, and brought a chance to help raise up generations of public health professionals,” the county reported.

Bernstein is a proud father of 20-year-old triplets: one serves in the United States Air Force, and the other two are college sophomores aiming for careers in nursing and in mental health counseling. Each of his children speak multiple languages.

“On behalf of Lake County Health Services, I extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. Bernstein,” adds Anthony Arton, Health Services director. “This role is essential to safeguarding the health and well-being of our residents, and we are pleased to welcome a leader who brings both expertise and a strong public health perspective.”