At the Sept. 22 Board of Supervisors meeting, Dr. Rob Oldham was unanimously appointed as Placer County’s interim health officer effective Sept. 26.
Oldham, who recently returned to the county as the new director of Health and Human Services and chief psychiatrist, previously served as health officer at Placer County for nearly six years.
The health officer is a statutorily required position in California, appointed by each county Board of Supervisors. Oldham will serve in the interim capacity while the county engages in a thorough search for a permanent health officer.
In addition to his local health officer experience, Oldham’s previous public health experience includes serving as deputy incident commander for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s response to the novel H1N1 influenza pandemic, and he is also the immediate past president of the California Conference of Local Health Officers.
“Dr. Oldham is well positioned to lead the county’s COVID-19 response until a permanent candidate is identified,” said District 1 Supervisor and Board Chair Bonnie Gore. “We are fortunate to have him onboard.”
Oldham received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and a Master of Science in health administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he also completed his residencies in general psychiatry and preventive medicine/public health. He is board-certified in general psychiatry, general preventive medicine/public health, and consultation-liaison psychiatry. Oldham has also served on many local and statewide boards and associations.
During his previous tenure with Public Health at Placer, Oldham led the division’s efforts to complete its first community health assessment in over a decade and initiated the Public Health Accreditation process. He also helped bring the Whole Person Care pilot program to the county.