Audio: Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Louisville's New Health Dept. Director

A deputy director of the Washington, D.C. Department of Health has been chosen to lead the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt will assume the post vacated late last year by Dr. Adewale Troutman, who took a job in Florida.Nesbitt is currently deputy director of community health administration for the District of Columbia Department of Health. She says the nation’s capital is dealing with many of the same public health challenges faced in Louisville."It won’t be new terrain for me in Louisville. We have worked very aggressively here in D.C. as it relates to tobacco use, especially among youth and minority populations, and looking at issues related to obesity and how to change environment so those individuals are able to make healthier choices," she said. In addition to leading the Louisville health department, Nesbitt will have a faculty appointment at the University of Louisville School of Public Health. The city and U of L will split her $180,000 salary.The entire interview with Dr. Nesbitt can be heard here.