Dr. Erica Pan, MD, MPH, FIDSA, FAAP serves as director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health, a role she assumed on February 1, 2025. As CDPH director, Dr. Pan strives to embody and promote the values of dignity, equity, compassion, and humility. She works with collaborative partnerships to communicate and empower communities and institutions to transform policies and systems to include a “health in all policies” approach, acknowledging that addressing the social determinants of health are fundamental to achieving healthy communities with thriving families and individuals.

As California’s public health officer, Dr. Pan exercises leadership and legal authority to protect health and prevent disease.
Prior to becoming director, Dr. Pan was the deputy director of CDPH’s Center for Infectious Diseases and state epidemiologist beginning in July 2020. Dr. Pan was also the CDPH acting state public health officer from August 10, 2020, to January 3, 2021.
Before joining CDPH, Dr. Pan gained experience at the local level with a focus on infectious disease control & prevention, and public health emergency response. She served multiple roles at the Alameda County Public Health Department between 2011 and 2020, including health officer, director of communicable disease control and prevention, and deputy health officer. Dr. Pan also held several positions at the San Francisco Department of Public Health between 2004 and 2011.

Dr. Pan is a clinical professor for pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. She maintained her clinical work in infectious diseases at San Francisco General Hospital and at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland.
Dr. Pan received her MD and MPH degrees from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University.

Dr. Atul Nakhasi, MD, MPP is a transformational physician executive recognized for his leadership in advancing public health and healthcare policy at the national, state, & local levels.

He was appointed Director of Science & Policy by 21st U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. As Director, Dr. Nakhasi led scientific and policy direction, strategy, and core operations including the development of landmark U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisories on social media, alcohol and cancer risk, firearm violence prevention, tobacco control, and loneliness and social isolation. During his tenure, he navigated the federal health ecosystem, building scientific and policy consensus for key health priorities of the Office across the administration. Dr. Nakhasi’s leadership influenced national health priorities and policies affecting 340 million Americans.

Previously, Dr. Nakhasi served as a key advisor to LA County’s Department of Public Health ($1.6B budget, 5,500 employees). He led the County department’s scientific messaging during the COVID-19 Omicron wave and the translation of complex epidemiological data and public health policy into clear public health guidance for LA County’s 10 million residents. Prior to that, he served as a policy advisor for LA County’s Department of Health Services ($6.2B budget, 23,000 employees), the nation’s second largest municipal safety-net health system. He led the health system’s policy operations to assess legislative and regulatory proposals that impacted public hospitals and Medicaid.

Additionally, Dr. Nakhasi co-founded, built, and scaled a nationwide healthcare movement, ThisIsOurShot, from concept to full operation that mobilized +25,000 healthcare workers and generated +1.1 billion digital impressions to combat COVID-19 misinformation. The campaign garnered major national media coverage, including prominent features in MSNBC, CNN, NPR, LA Times, Washington Post, Politico, & USA Today; secured major institutional partnerships with in-kind support from the WHO, UN, CDC, and Google; and was successfully acquired by the Public Good Projects.

Dr. Nakhasi previously served on the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), American College Health Association (ACHA), & California Medical Association Political Action Committee (CALPAC) boards. He continues to serve as a primary care physician for the communities of Watts/Compton in South LA. Dr. Nakhasi holds degrees from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was named a Fellow at the Harvard Center for Public Leadership.