Deidre Gifford began the coronavirus pandemic as head of the state Department of Social Services but was appointed in May as interim commissioner of the Department of Public Health, making her one of Gov. Ned Lamont’s closest advisors on COVID-19 and how to prevent the disease from spreading.
Gifford replaced Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell, who was suddenly ousted from her role in May without much explanation.
Gifford’s main task has been trying to more closely align state agencies’ response to the pandemic. Connecticut was hit hard by coronavirus early on, leaving some to worry the state’s hospitals would become overwhelmed.
But Connecticut’s aggressive response to the disease has helped get the virus’ spread under control in recent months. Gifford has helped lead that effort on everything from testing to monitoring and responding to various pockets of outbreaks in the state — including the one in Danbury in August.
She and her office were also front and center in the debate over whether high school football should be played this fall. It won’t be. Most recently she was named co-chair of Lamont’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, which will help develop a distribution strategy once a vaccine is readily available.
Prior to joining the Department of Social Services, from 2016 to 2019 Gifford served as deputy director for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, D.C. From 2012 to 2015, she served as Medicaid director in the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services.