Dr. Richard Gaston, M.D., a hospital physician with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, has been named board chair of the Northern Kentucky Health Department’s District Board of Health.
Dr. Gaston’s credentials include a focus on addiction medicine, which is among the many areas of focus for the Health Department.
He replaces Jonathan Rich, D.M.D., who becomes the Immediate Past Chair.
“We can’t begin to thank Dr. Rich enough for his leadership over the past year,” said Northern Kentucky Health Department District Director of Health Jennifer Mooney, Ph.D, M.S. “His leadership and direction have been invaluable, especially for me as I began my role in late October. Under his direction we put together a new strategic plan that will guide us for the next three to six years. Combined with the knowledge and leadership of Dr. Gaston, especially in the area of addiction, we expect to make great progress in protecting the health of the people of Northern Kentucky.”
Dr. Gaston joined the Northern Kentucky Health Department’s Executive Board in January 2020, and previously served as the Board’s Vice Chair.
“I am tremendously excited about my new role as Chair of the District Board of Health,” said Dr. Gaston. “The Board and all of the members of Northern Kentucky Health Department do a tremendous job of preventing disease, promoting wellness, and protecting the area against health threats. Our goal is to make Northern Kentucky the healthiest region in the nation, and I think that’s something we can achieve. I’m looking forward to leading us toward that goal.”
Dr. Gaston earned his medical degree from the State University of Haiti School of Medicine in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, followed by an internship at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and residency at the SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Downstate, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has lived in Northern Kentucky for about a decade, where he serves the population of the Health Department’s four counties.
Northern Kentucky Health Department