Newly appointed Whole Health Commissioner Jennie Sutcliffe now steers Tompkins County’s health services following her appointment on Monday. Sutcliffe succeeds Frank Kruppa, who served as commissioner for 14 years.
Sutcliffe now oversees public, mental and environmental health in the county.
Whole Health comprises Tompkins County's Public Health and Mental Health departments and offers health and well-being resources to the community. Residents can visit Whole Health for immunizations, testing, counseling and more.
As commissioner, Sutcliffe will work towards Whole Health’s mission of investigating the causes of local health disparities and lead county-wide health initiatives.
After traveling across the world for her career, Sutcliffe is returning home. She is a Tompkins County native, hailing from Trumansburg.
Sutcliffe studied as a Fulbright research scholar in Italy, served as an external relations fellow in the United Kingdom and worked as a health policy analyst in Illinois. She then returned to New York to work for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Most recently, she worked on healthcare policy and social determinants of health as a senior health care policy analyst at the NYC Health Department’s First Deputy Commissioner’s Office. She then tackled multiple public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 and the mpox virus outbreaks as senior advisor to the deputy commissioner in the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response in New York City, now named NYC Emergency Management.
“Sutcliffe’s deep experience, policy acumen and emergency response leadership make her exceptionally qualified to guide Tompkins County Whole Health into its next chapter,” said Dan Klein, chair of the Tompkins County Legislature, in a press release.
Sutcliffe said in the press release that she looks forward to addressing the “vibrant” community’s health needs as Whole Health commissioner.
“It is an honor and privilege to be offered the chance to lead such a talented and dedicated department,” Sutcliffe said. “I grew up in Tompkins County and have spent my career in government and health, so stepping into this role is immensely exciting for me.”
Varsha Bhargava is a news editor from The Cornell Daily Sun working as a reporter for The Ithaca Times through The Sun’s summer fellowship program. This piece was originally published in The Ithaca Times.
Varsha Bhargava is a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at vbhargava@cornellsun.com.
