December 10, 2024
@PhillyMayor/X
Palak Raval-Nelson has been tapped by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker to serve as the commissioner of the Department of Public Health. Above, Raval-Nelson speaks at a press conference Monday as Parker, second from right, looks on.
The new head of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is an administrator who has spent 28 years working for the city, beginning as a health inspector and working her way into a deputy commissioner role.
Palak Raval-Nelson, who has served as deputy commissioner since March 2022, will fill the role left vacant by Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, who stepped down in February. Frank A. Franklin has been serving as acting commissioner.
Ravel-Nelson joined the health department in 1996 as a public health inspector. She also has served as a supervisor, manager, administrator and as the director of Environmental Health Services.
As deputy commissioner, Ravel-Nelson oversees the divisions of Environmental Health Services, Air Management, Services, the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office and the Public Health Lab. She earned her doctorate degree in environmental health and policy at Drexel University.
"I am honored to be selected by Mayor Cherelle Parker to serve as the next Health Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia," Raval-Nelson said in a statement. "I have dedicated most of my adult life to ensuring the safety and health of the residents of Philadelphia, and I look forward to continuing that work in line with the Mayor’s goals."
Raval-Nelson was picked from a nationwide search, Parker said, noting that being a longtime city resident has "clearly provided her with a deep understanding of Philadelphia's public health strengths and challenges."
Franklin will return to serving the health department as a deputy commissioner, the role he had before stepping in as interim commissioner.
