NEW YORK, NY (August 19, 2015) – Louise Cohen, MPH, starts this week as the new CEO of the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC). Ms. Cohen succeeds co-founder Ronda Kotelchuck, who retired last week after having led PCDC since 1993.
“I am excited, and truly honored, to be leading PCDC,” said Ms. Cohen. “For over two decades, PCDC has played a vital role in strengthening and 
expanding primary care in underserved communities. With growing recognition of primary care’s importance to improving health and reducing costs, I look forward to working with our board, staff and partners, building on our successes to ensure that every family and community has access to the high-quality healthcare they deserve.”
Ms. Cohen brings more than 25 years of experience in public health leadership. Most recently she served as Vice President for Public Health Programs at New York-based Public Health Solutions, where she oversaw a variety of programs to improve community health through food access and nutrition, women’s reproductive health, tobacco control and child development.
Ms. Cohen held successive leadership positions at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) for 12 years, including as Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Health Care Access and Improvement. Among her accomplishments at DOHMH, Ms. Cohen led the development and execution of Take Care New York, New York City’s first comprehensive health policy agenda. She also oversaw the Primary Care Information Project, which brought a public health and prevention-oriented ambulatory care electronic health record system to more than 2,500 primary care providers. Prior to her tenure at DOHMH, Louise was Director of the Park Slope Family Health Center (now part of the NYU Lutheran Family Health Centers network).
Ms. Cohen served on PCDC’s Board of Directors from 2011 until she became CEO this month.
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