Sarah Rudman, MD, MPH

Dr. Sarah Rudman, MD, MPH, became Santa Clara County’s Health Officer and Public Health Director in October 2025. Dr. Rudman, who had been serving in this role on an acting basis since April 2025, brings nearly a decade of dedicated service to the community in the county’s Public Health Department and an extensive background in infectious disease prevention, emergency response, and public health leadership.

Dr. Rudman began her tenure at the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department in 2016 as the Assistant Public Health Officer and STD/HIV Controller, where she led programs focused on prevention, treatment, and reducing health disparities in vulnerable communities.

She went on to serve as Deputy Health Officer and Director of the Infectious Disease and Response Branch, guiding the county’s preparations, training, and response to public health emergencies, including novel infectious disease threats.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Rudman was a central leader in shaping the County’s pandemic response, coordinating outbreak control strategies across diverse communities and serving as a trusted public spokesperson during an unprecedented time of uncertainty.

In addition to her local leadership, Dr. Rudman previously served as a Public Health Medical Officer and Epidemiologist for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), where she was the State’s Bioterrorism Pathogen Subject Matter Expert and led investigations of communicable disease outbreaks across California, supported infectious disease policy development, and designed critical response strategies that helped inform statewide health protections.

Throughout her career, Dr. Rudman has emphasized the importance of equity-driven public health. She has partnered with community-based organizations, faith leaders, schools, and health care providers to reduce health disparities and ensure services reach underserved populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with trusted messengers to expand testing and vaccination access in immigrant and low-income neighborhoods, addressing language, transportation, and digital access barriers.

Dr. Rudman has also played a key role in developing initiatives to improve health equity for communities of color, LGBTQ+ residents, and individuals experiencing homelessness. Her leadership reflects a commitment to ensuring that every resident of Santa Clara County — regardless of background, income, or immigration status — has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

Dr. Rudman has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work in the field of public health, including the 2021 Susan P. Baker Award for Public Health Impact, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Innovative Practice Awards in 2022 and 2025, and the 2019 CAPIO Epic Award for public health communications.

Dr. Rudman earned her B.A. in feminist studies with a minor in biology from Stanford University, her M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College, where she graduated first in her class, and her M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases.