Deputy Secretary for Health and Deputy State Health Officer for CMS: Dennis V. Cookro, MD, MPH

Biography information about Dennis V. Cookro, MD, MPH, Deputy Secretary for Health and Deputy State Health Officer for CMS

Dennis V. Cookro, MD, MPH, is the Interim Deputy Secretary for Health and Deputy State Health Officer for Children's Medical Services. Dr. Cookro is the Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, and currently serves as medical advisor to the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and is also a member of the DOH Performance Improvement Team.

Dr. Cookro received his master's degree in public health from Loma Linda University and his M.D. from the University of Arizona. He performed his internship in Surgery at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and completed his residency in Preventive Medicine at the University of Arizona in collaboration with the Arizona State Division of Health.

He is Board Certified in Preventive Medicine and Public Health and has held positions in the United States Public Health Service, three state health departments and the University of South Florida College of Medicine and College of Public Health. In Florida, he has served as Director of three county health departments (CHD), Medical Director and Deputy District Administrator for Health. He has treated patients in seven of Florida's CHDs. He leads the Florida CHD Medical Directors Association and has provided consultation and assistance to all of Florida's CHDs at varying times throughout his career. He has been active in the Robert Wood Johnson funded Multistate Learning Collaborative. Dr. Cookro's expertise focuses on promotion of evidence-based preventive medicine and excellence in public health practice.