Philadelphia Health Commissioner Walter Tsou will officially leave office this Saturday, after handing in his resignation two weeks ago.
Tsou, who has occupied the post for nearly two years, will be temporarily replaced by Deputy Commissioner John Domzalski.
According to earlier reports, a permanent replacement was supposed to be named this week. However, an official from the mayor's office stated that no replacement has been named as of yet.
"I decided to leave because this is a political appointment and the mayor [John Street] can decide who he wants to run the department," said Tsou, who holds a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, in an e-mail statement. "I was picked based on my public health experience, not my political connections."
In his official letter of resignation, Tsou stated that, although his staff was dedicated to public health, he was dissatisfied that the commissioner's job was more political than he had expected.
Tsou also mentioned feeling as though his performance as commissioner was "unrecognized" and aired frustrations about insufficient resources.
"I am hopeful that whoever succeeds me is picked on public health experience, considering the depth of public health problems confronting the city," Tsou said in the statement.
Tsou was appointed health commissioner of Philadelphia by Street in April 2000. Previously, Tsou served for nine years as the deputy director for personal health services and medical director of the Montgomery County Health Department. He has also served on both national and local public health boards.
Tsou was named Practitioner of the Year by the Philadelphia County Medical Society in 2001.
In his tenure as commissioner, Tsou said he focused on aligning the department's priorities around a project called Healthy People 2010, an agenda of national health objectives designed to identify and reduce preventable health threats.
Other initiatives that Tsou has worked on include the establishment of academic and community forums for issues such as tobacco control and sexual health, the development of neighborhood health statistics and a concentrated focus on community involvement, particularly an effort to reach out to the Asian-American community.
"I am hopeful that my successor will continue these efforts," Tsou said.
Tsou's resignation is one of many that have racked Street's administration mid-term. In the past two years, six other city officials have resigned, including, most recently, Police Commissioner John Timoney, Procurement Commissioner Lou Applebaum, Personnel Director Linda Seyda and Treasurer Folsade Olanipekum.
