The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) develops, monitors and operates public health programs and activities designed to improve the lives of residents and visitors through injury, sickness and disease prevention, promotion of healthy lifestyles and health protection efforts.
KDPH supervises and assists local boards of health and 61 local health departments serving all 120 Kentucky counties. The department relies on local health departments to carry out core public health activities required by statute or regulation and to provide preventive services to specific populations mandated by budget appropriations.
KDPH has identified the following seven core public health services that are required at the local level, either through local health departments or by another provider:
Enforcement of public health regulations
Surveillance of public health
Communicable disease control
Public health education
Public health policy development
Reduction of risk to families and children
Disaster preparedness
John R. Langefeld, MD
Commissioner, Kentucky Department for Public Health
On July 1, 2025, Dr. Langefeld was appointed Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, bringing deep expertise in leading innovative, data-driven strategies to improve the health and well-being of all Kentuckians.
Dr. John Langefeld is a physician executive and transformational health leader with more than three decades of experience spanning clinical care, Medicaid policy, managed care and health care analytics. He served as Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services Chief Medical Officer from 2013 to 2015 and returned to the Cabinet for Health & Family Services in 2024 in the role of Medical Director for Health Insights & Innovation. He continues to lead the development of KENTUCKY HEALTHforward, a collaborative, data-driven approach to improving population health and aligning efforts across Kentucky's health ecosystem partners.
Dr. Langefeld's leadership has guided major transformation efforts at the state and national level, including strategic roles with Vizient Southern States and Gainwell Technologies. He also founded Insights4Health, a consulting initiative focused on system integration, health data infrastructure and analytics, quality innovation, and policy modernization across several states.
Throughout his career, he has championed the transition from fragmented systems to true health ecosystems, emphasizing shared accountability, actionable insights from data, and equity-centered innovation. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine and in 2015 was honored as Citizen Doctor of the Year by the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Langefeld earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville, completed his residency at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, and holds a B.A. in Biology from Berea College.