Dr. Abdul El-Sayed discusses his new role at Wayne County’s health department
The soon-to-be health director says the department will be considering health broadly.
Dr Abdul El-Sayed appears on WDET's Detroit Today on December 8, 2022.
Many people know Dr. Abdul El-Sayed from his gubernatorial run in 2018. At that time, he ran as a progressive, promoting things like single-payer health care and higher minimum wages.
He lost in the primary to current Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but quickly became known by many in the state for his progressive politics and fiery speeches.
Prior to his political run, El-Sayed worked in public service as the Detroit Health Department director. He’s back as a public servant in a similar role with Wayne County — serving as a project consultant for Wayne County’s Health, Human & Veterans Services Department and plans to take over as its director in March.
“When you think about what health is, it’s not just what happens beneath your skin, it’s also the things that you experience in your life that shape your physiology that then direct you toward illness or health.” — Abdul El-Sayed, incoming health director
Listen: What health equity can look like in Wayne County.
Guest
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a former gubernatorial candidate and former executive director of the Detroit Health Department. He will be the health director of Wayne County in March. He says he wants to make the health department more “pandemic-proof.”
“When you think about what health is, it’s not just what happens beneath your skin, it’s also the things that you experience in your life that shape your physiology that then direct you toward illness or health,” says El-Sayed.
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