David Axelrod (physician)

David Axelrod (1935–1994) was a New York physician and bureaucrat.

David Axelrod
Commissioner of Health of the State of New York
In office 1979–1991
Governor	Hugh L. Carey; Mario Cuomo
Preceded by	Robert P. Whalen
Succeeded by	Mark R. Chassin[1]
Personal details
Born	(1935-01-07)January 7, 1935 Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Died	July 4, 1994(1994-07-04) (aged 59) Cohoes, New York
Residence	Albany, New York
Alma mater	Harvard University (Bachelor's degree with high honors in 1956 and Medical degree in 1960)[2]
Occupation	Medical administrator
Profession	physician
Scientific career
Fields	Health policy
Institutions	National Institutes of Health New York State Department of Health

Career

After obtaining his medical degree from Harvard in 1960, he served a two-year residency in Rochester. He then worked for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland as a virus research scientist until joining the New York State Department of Health in 1968.^[2]

He was Health Commissioner for the State of New York in the 1980s and 1990s. He was appointed by Governor Hugh Carey and served under Governor Mario Cuomo as well.^[2] He is considered to be the nation's foremost public health official of the 1980s. ^[3]

He worked on issues of regulating doctors and hospitals, the confidentiality of AIDS patients, anti-smoking legislation and universal health insurance.^[2]

In the 1980s, Axelrod collaborated with the President of the University at Albany, SUNY to establish the School of Public Health.^[4] The university named a fellowship after him.^[5]

He also suffered a tarnished reputation in his handling of Love Canal, and was not transparent or forthcoming in his communications with the 700 affected families.^{[citation needed]}

Death

His career ended after he suffered a stroke in February 1991; he died three years later.^[2]