Frankie Shipman-Amuwo, DrPH

Dr. Frankie Shipman-Amuwo is Senior Director of Community Health, where she manages a portfolio of units, programs, and initiatives in the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) Division of Community Health.

She has a multidisciplinary background and is an adaptive leader in public health operations, strategic management, and working to address systemic barriers. She previously spent 8 years at the Cook County Department of Public Health, first as a CDC Public Health Prevention Specialist and then as an Emergency Response Coordinator. Subsequently, she worked for 7 years at the Chicago Department of Public Health, first as the Director of Planning, Research and Development for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Unit and then as Assistant Commissioner for the COVID Bureau. Most notably, she led COVID-19 community-based testing operations for Chicago June 2020 – June 2021.

Frankie most recently served as the Managing Deputy Commissioner for Programs at the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, the largest local human and social services department in Chicago. In her role as an executive officer, Frankie’s primary responsibilities consist of leading 4 programmatic divisions and their respective Deputy Commissioners: Children Services, Youth Services, Workforce Services and Senior Services. She is responsible for building and sustaining interdepartmental and community relationships and executing time-sensitive problem solving to advocate for the interests of the City’s most vulnerable residents.

Frankie earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health. She later obtained her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) from the University of IL at Chicago, concentrating in Public Health Leadership, a degree in which she explored issues of equity, power and trauma-informed practice in public health. As a strategist, her career, Masters and Doctorate have enhanced her expertise in community engagement, change management, and applied research to address health disparities and be a change agent for social justice.