Health Department History 1991 - Present
1991: The Tennessee Department of Health and Environment has a name change to become the Tennessee Department of Health.
2002: First case of West Nile Virus in humans in Tennessee, spurring additional aggressive efforts to control insect populations.
2006: TDH Commissioner Kenneth S. Robinson, MD, announces Tennessee’s first toll-free statewide Tobacco Quitline Aug. 28.
2008: Veronica Gunn, MD, MPH, announced as the new TDH Chief Medical Officer Feb. 4.
2009: First confirmed case of novel H1N1 virus identified in Tennessee.
2011: Governor Bill Haslam announces, Sept. 2, John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, is TDH Commissioner.
2012: TDH announced Oct. 1 it is investigating cases of meningitis involving 11 patients.
2013: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome becomes a reportable condition in Tennessee.
2014: The first case of chikungunya in Tennessee.
2016: The first case of Zika viruse disease in Tennessee.