Riverside County announces new County Health Officer

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors appointed Dr. Geoffrey Leung Tuesday as the county’s new health officer. The appointment is effective immediately. According to the County, Dr. Leung has been an integral member in the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the past year. Most recently, Dr. Leung has led the county’s Incident Management Team for the Riverside County vaccine rollout since December. "I am honored to serve in this new capacity and look forward to continuing the important work of the department as we focus on recovering from this pandemic," said Dr. Leung. "Public health, at its core, is about protecting communities from disease, preserving health and prolonging life. This pandemic has underscored how critical public health is to our everyday lives and ensuring the health of our communities." The county health officer enforces county ordinances, as well as state and federal statutes pertaining to public health and sanitary matters within the unincorporated areas of the county, and within all cities in Riverside County. Dr. Leung earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. He started in the County of Riverside in 2006 and has held the position of Ambulatory Medical Director for Riverside University Health System (RUHS) for the last five years. He’s also been the chair of family medicine for RUHS for the last nine years. The county’s former health officer, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, is no longer employed by the county, which was a decision made by the county executive officer (CEO) earlier Tuesday. "I want to thank Dr. Kaiser for his tireless work throughout this pandemic in service to our residents, communities, county agencies, cities, school districts and many other groups," said CEO Jeff Van Wagenen.