Haddonfield Woman Sworn in as State Department of Health Commissioner

A Haddonfield woman has been sworn in as the 20th Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, state officials said on Tuesday.

Cathleen D. Bennett began serving as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Health on Aug. 3, 2015, and was formally appointed to the position by Gov. Chris Christie on Dec. 14.

She joined the department as Director of Policy and Strategic Planning in August of 2010.

As head of Policy and Strategic Planning, she directed strategic public health and health care delivery initiatives, including health care quality assessment, health statistics and informatics, population health and health equity, regional health planning, and health information technology.

Shortly after she was named Acting Commissioner, Bennett created an Office of Population Health to promote stronger collaboration among hospitals, local health departments and health care providers.

Population Health focuses on keeping healthy New Jerseyans well, preventing those at risk from getting sick, and keeping those with chronic conditions from getting sicker.

Population Health promotes prevention, wellness and equity in all environments across the lifespan.

Bennett is assembling a Population Health Action Team that will help the department focus on efforts to drive improvements on five leading health indicators: Access to Care, Birth Outcomes, Childhood Immunizations, Heart Disease/Stroke and Obesity.

Before joining the department, Bennett spent 20 years as an executive in the private sector, providing consulting, strategy, and management services to federal and state health and human services agencies.

She holds a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, a Juris Doctorate from The Dickinson School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University.

Bennett lives in Haddonfield with her husband and daughter.

The attached image of Cathleen Bennett was posted on nj.gov.