Department of Health Names New Deputy State Epidemiologist
David Kirschke, MD, has been appointed deputy state epidemiologist for the Department of Health. In this position, Kirschke will oversee the Department’s Environmental Epidemiology, Tuberculosis and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Programs.
“Dr. Kirschke’s combination of education and experience make him the ideal candidate for the deputy state epidemiologist position,” said Assistant Commissioner Cathy R. Taylor, DrPH, MSN, RN. “The department’s Office of Communicable and Environmental Disease is one of the best in the country, and Dr. Kirschke’s acceptance of this position will only enhance the many assets it offers in protecting the welfare of Tennessee residents and visitors.”
Most recently Kirschke served as medical director of the Communicable and Environmental Disease Services and Emergency Preparedness Sections for the Department of Health’s Northeast Regional Office, Bureau of Health Services, and was the County Health Officer in Greene County.
“Although I was sad to leave the beautiful setting and incredible hospitality of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Office, this new position represents an exciting challenge,” said Kirschke. “I look forward to working with, and learning from, some esteemed old friends and bright new colleagues.”
Kirschke obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., and a Medical Degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine before training in family practice at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Prior to coming to Tennessee, Kirschke also worked as a family physician at the Buncombe County Health Department Primary Care Clinic in North Carolina. He served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control stationed at the Tennessee Department of Health from 2001-2003. Since 2003, he has been medical director of the Communicable and Environmental Disease Services and the Emergency Preparedness Sections of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Department and an associate professor of clinical medicine at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.