As the State Epidemiologist for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Benjamin Chan’s goal is to prevent and control disease, and promote the health of Granite state residents. As one of the first to get a call when there is a threat or widespread health concern, Chan has provided medical expertise and support in the state’s response to emerging infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika, as well as to environmental health concerns regarding drinking water contamination with Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs).

Quality improvement initiatives are also a key part of Chan’s work, and he is often looking at how to collaborate more efficiently with local health agencies and providers to use population health data to inform and improve local healthcare delivery, especially for evolving concerns such as the opioid epidemic. One of the greatest challenges of his multi-faceted role in improving population health is addressing the social and behavioral determinants of health.

“Protecting and promoting health is not just about diagnosing and treating diseases, or responding to the most recent emerging health threat," Chan says.

"To have the greatest impact on the health of the population we need to be addressing the behavioral and socioeconomic factors which impact health, and we need to be working with our community partners to enable families and communities to be healthy.”