Tobi Amosun Named Assistant Commissioner

NASHVILLE – Tobi Adeyeye Amosun, MD, FAAP, has been named assistant commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health Division of Family Health and Wellness. In this position, Amosun will lead TDH efforts in maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, health promotion and supplemental nutrition.

“We’re very pleased to have Dr. Amosun join our team in this important role supporting the health of Tennessee families,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Her experience and passion for serving children, promoting preventive services and expanding care for underserved populations have her well-positioned to lead the work of our Division of Family Health and Wellness.”

As assistant commissioner, Amosun will direct activities to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of Tennessee families. Services provided by this division include adolescent pregnancy prevention, breastfeeding promotion and support, breast and cervical cancer screening, diabetes prevention, early childhood programs, violence and injury prevention, newborn screening, tobacco prevention and the Women, Infants and Children nutritrion program. These programs serve Tennesseans in all 95 counties of the state through a network of local and regional health departments.

“I am very excited to serve Tennessee in an even bigger capacity than I was doing previously,” said Amosun. “As someone whose family used many social services in her early childhood, but also placed a tremendous importance on education, I believe I am paying forward what was given to me to the families and children of Tennessee.”

Amosun comes to TDH after serving as medical director for a large pediatric clinic serving Medicaid patients in Tennessee, a position she held since 2014. In this role, she oversaw the clinic’s growth from 2,000 to more than 15,000 patients in six years, and helped increase access to timely autism evaluations, improved clinic efficiency and engaged in community research efforts on smoking cessation and vaccine access. Amosun has also served as an assistant professor of pediatrics at both the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Vanderbilt University, where she focused on urgent care and care to underserved populations.

“Dr. Amosun brings a wealth of expertise in pediatric and adolescent care and community engagement. We could not be more thankful to have her on board to improve the health of all families in Tennessee,” said TDH Deputy Commissioner for Population Health Morgan McDonald, MD, FACP, FAAP.

Amosun is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and has served as a pediatrician for more than 15 years. In addition to clinical care, she has been focused on patient advocacy, quality initiatives, access to care, staff development, servant leadership and community engagement. She serves on several state and national boards advocating for children, and has a particular interest in addressing social determinants of health and their impact on the care of underserved and medically at-risk populations.

Amosun graduated with honors with undergraduate degrees in Biology and Art History from Vanderbilt University as a Dean’s Select Scholar and Chancellor’s Scholar. She earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as a recipient of the Richard King Mellon Foundation award and completed her residency at the Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a board member of numerous professional organizations. She has been recognized for community service and serves as a mentor to premedical and medical students. She currently sits on the Tennessee Health Disparities task force. She also is a speaker and writer focusing on pediatric issues whose work has been featured by Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, the Tennessean, local news stations and national parenting websites.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.

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