LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, and Deputy Mayor for Public Health & Public Services Nicole George announced leadership promotions July 9 for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. 

Inder Singal will serve as medical director, and Connie Mendel will serve as the department's chief health strategist. Both have served as interim directors since Greenberg appointed them in May 2023.

“LMPHW is essential to creating a safer, stronger and healthier Louisville,” Greenberg said. “Connie and Inder have already had significant accomplishments in their interim roles. They led the distribution of opioid settlement funds while serving as co-chairs on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Board. Because of their work distributing naloxone and connecting people with harm reduction services, treatment and recovery, many lives in this community have been saved.”

Greenberg added both Mendel and Singal helped secure funding to expand the city's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and the implementation of the Lead Rental Registry Ordinance, which is designed to prevent and protect tenants of rental properties in the Louisville Metro area from lead hazards.

Mendel joined the Jefferson County Health Department as an environmental health specialist in the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response, Food Safety and Mosquito Control programs. Prior to joining Greenberg's team, she served as the department's senior deputy director, leading its administrative and finance operations, regulatory operations and enforcement, emergency planning and preparedness and the Public Health Laboratory.

"I began my career in public health 26 years ago, and LMPHW has become my second home,” Mendel said. "My goals remain the same, and that’s to build a stronger public health workforce, while helping everyone in our city improve their health and wellbeing so they can reach their full human potential. We can accomplish that by keeping health equity at the center of our work and removing barriers that prevent people from achieving positive health outcomes."

Singal is a retina specialist and has practiced in Louisville since 2003, the mayor's office said. He is the founder and president of Adarsh Charitable Foundation, which was established in 2018 to alleviate preventable vision impairment by working with local educational institutions. Since its inception, the foundation has also provided scholarships to students in Belize and Guatemala.

He also serves on the strategy and planning committee at the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation.

“I look forward to working alongside Mayor Greenberg and his administration, Connie, our dedicated and compassionate team members and community partners to solve inequities in health care, education and affordable housing,” Singal said. “By working together and sowing seeds of positive change today, we will provide our future generations a better and more equitable tomorrow. I feel privileged and honored to be able to serve all residents of Louisville.”

LMPHW provides many essential services to keep the community healthy, such as preventing the spread of infectious diseases, ensuring food served at restaurants and other establishments is safe and preparing and practicing responses for public health emergencies. More information on the department, its programs and services can be found on the city's website.