Faculty Spotlight: Jeff Duchin

Dr. Jeff Duchin, professor (Allergy and Infectious Diseases), Health Officer for Public Health–Seattle & King County, will retire after 30 years of distinguished service.

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Background

Duchin attended undergrad at the University of Virginia and received his MD from Rutgers Medical School. His medical background and training are focused in infectious diseases and epidemiology. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital before a fellowship in emergency medicine and general internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He continued his training at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, spending two years as an epidemic intelligence service (EIS) officer with the National Center for Infectious Diseases, and completing a one-year preventive medicine residency.

Duchin first came the University of Washington as an infectious disease fellow in 1995. That same year, he began as a CDC medical epidemiologist assigned to Seattle & King County Public Health’s TB and HIV programs. He was named as Chief of Public Health’s Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization Section in 1998.

Seattle & King County Public Health

Duchin has served Seattle & King County Public Health for almost three decades, becoming Health Officer for King County in 2015.

He has been a leader in the county’s health policy as well as a national expert on immunizations and infectious diseases, shaping national policy and practice during times of outbreak and emergency.

He has long-term experience in various aspects of public health immunization programs, including vaccine hesitancy, vaccine delivery and supply, and risk communication, as well as in national level committee and advisory work.

Particularly during the Covid pandemic, Duchin’s expertise established him among the most influential voices guiding governmental response and public information.

"Dr. Duchin has served our community with unflappable dedication and distinction, helping improve our quality of life and elevating King County's stature as a public health pacesetter," said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

"His expertise and leadership during the first COVID outbreak in the nation in King County drew praise from around the country. Under his guidance, King County's sustained response to the pandemic has led the nation, holding illness and death rates to among the lowest in major counties, while focusing on equity as a guiding principle in our work. I'm grateful for his wise counsel and for his long record of accomplishment on our behalf."

National advocacy

His local and national responsibilities have included serving as a member of the CDC's Board of Scientific Counselors and the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the National Academy of Medicine's (NAM) Forum on Microbial Threats, and the NAMs Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness, and co-chair of the Institute of Medicine's Workshop Series (Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness) on pandemic influenza vaccine and the National Quality Forum's Adult Immunization Committee.

Duchin is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and has served on the board of directors and other leadership roles for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Legacy

Duchin has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles focusing on a communicable diseases of public health significance including disease control and outbreak response; clinical and public health management of hepatitis C infection; and, bio-emergency (E.g., Ebola, novel/avian influenza, MERS, biological terrorism) preparedness and response.

He is also an esteemed educator and mentor. He established Public Health – Seattle & King County as a field training site for the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers (EISO) in 2006 and served as a supervisor for nine fellows over the past 18 years.

“Public Health – Seattle & King County is a world-class health department and it has been my great privilege to have had the opportunity to serve here with so many outstanding colleagues both in the department and from the King County healthcare system, the University of Washington, and with community partners who value collaboration, improving population health, and achieving health equity,” said Dr. Duchin, announcing his retirement.

Duchin is an avid fan of cycling. He especially loves long rides and has participated in Cascade’s 104-mile High Pass Challenge many times. Despite being too busy during the last few years, he hopes that retirement will allow him more time to ride and spend with loved ones.