Framingham Health Director Taking Medical Leave From Job

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham's public health director, who has led the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic, will go on medical leave this week for an indeterminate amount of time.

Framingham announced Dr. Sam Wong would begin his medical leave on Dec. 31. A city spokesperson could not give more specifics about the reason for the medical leave — or how long it would last.

Wong came to Framingham in August 2017 after serving for 17 years as Hudson's health director. Assistant Health Director Alexandra DePalo, who previously worked with Wong in Hudson, will take over for him, officials said.

Neither Wong nor DePalo could immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Board of Health Chair Gillian Carcia called the news "a big loss for Framingham," but said DePalo is a worthy replacement.

"We know she'll be able to step in and continue some of the good leadership that Dr. Wong has started," Carcia said. "Dr. Wong has been an exceptional leader, and we never want to lose anybody in that position."

Wong has been a forceful voice in the city's fight against the pandemic. Wong was an early advocate for masks, and most recently has worked with Framingham Public Schools on designing guidelines to bring students back into buildings. He also oversaw the city's contact-tracing effort, which he has said is faster and better than the state system.

But over the course of the pandemic — now almost a year old — Wong has said that he has worked every day, and that resources in the health department have been stretched. During a recent Framingham School Committee meeting, Wong said he wasn't sure how long his department could keep up with the pace of cases, which have been rising fast.

"We're still managing to keep up with the volume, but I don't think we'll be able to continue to do that for long," he said.

Outside of Framingham, Wong served as immediate past president of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, a consortium of top health officials from cities and towns across the state.