The North Central Health District (NCHD) has announced the appointment, as of July 1, of Georgia native Dr. Kim Cook as its new district health director. With an extensive background in preventive medicine, epidemiology, and clinical research, Cook brings decades of experience and leadership to the position.
“It’s great to be back in Georgia, back home, and back with public health,” Cook said. “Public health is the foundation of healthy communities whether you’re in a small rural town or a busy city.”
A Georgia native, Cook earned his Bachelor of Sciences in Zoology from the University of Georgia, followed by a Doctor of Medicine in 1989 from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. His commitment to public health led him to complete an internship at the University of Hawaii, a preventive medicine residency at the University of Utah, and earning a Master of Science in Public Health.
In 1996, Cook completed a prestigious two-year Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship within the Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
Cook’s public health career spans roles as a medical epidemiologist with the CDC and various state health departments, including in Utah, Georgia, and Vermont. He has led numerous infectious disease outbreak investigations, guided data-driven public health surveillance, and contributed to the development of preventive health programs across a wide variety of jurisdictions.
More recently, Cook transitioned into pharmaceutical sciences. He founded and led a clinical research site in Gainesville that collaborated with leading pharmaceutical sponsors in conducting safety and efficacy trials for new prescription drugs. He later served as medical director for a pharmaceutical company, spearheading clinical programs that led to multiple FDA approvals for new prescription drugs.
Originally from Savannah, Cook has deep roots in the state, including time spent in Jenkins County on his family’s pine tree farm, which he now co-owns. For more than 20 years, he also operated a small vegetable and fruit farm in Clermont. Outside his professional life, Cook enjoys hiking, sailing, gardening, and traveling.
He is the father of two adult children who also live in Georgia.
Cook’s blend of medical expertise and community familiarity enables him to address public health needs in a way that is both scientifically sound and locally informed, strengthening NCHD’s ability to improve health outcomes across all 13 counties served.
“Everyone deserves access to effective, equitable public health services,” Cook said. “I’m excited to work alongside the dedicated staff of NCHD to strengthen our services, build partnerships, and ensure that every community and individual we serve has the tools and support to thrive.”
NCHD also thanked South Central Health District’s Dr. Thomas Craft, who served as Interim District Health Director during the leadership transition. Craft’s guidance and commitment to public health was credited for maintaining public health services and advancing the district’s mission during this period.
NCHD serves patients in Putnam, Baldwin, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Macon-Bibb, Monroe, Peach, Twiggs, Washington, and Wilkinson counties, with fees based on income for those without insurance. For more information about NCHD, visit NCHD52.org or follow NCHD on Facebook and Twitter.
— Contributed