Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) effective August 1, 2022, by Governor JB Pritzker who charged him with continuing to shape a stronger IDPH for the 21st Century.

Dr. Vohra is a general pediatrician with degrees in medicine, law and public policy and is a cross-disciplinary leader in state and national health policy formulation. Since becoming Illinois’ top doctor, he has led the state through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and is now focused on efforts to strengthen Illinois’ public health infrastructure and build a unified vision for health in every corner of the state.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Vohra was the Founding Chair of the Department of Population Science and Policy, a practicing primary care pediatrician, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law at the Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine (SIU-SOM) in Springfield, Illinois, where he also served the State of Illinois as the Interim Chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership.

A graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts in public policy, Dr. Vohra completed his medical residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago. He holds a medical doctorate from SIU-SOM; a juris doctorate from SIU School of Law graduating first in his class; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and science in human culture with honors from Northwestern University.

Dr. Vohra previously served on the Illinois State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee and national committees for American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of American Medical Colleges, American Medical Association, and on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society.

He has received numerous honors including a United States Fulbright Scholarship in 2009, an American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award in 2014 and was named an Edgar Fellow in 2016 as one of 40 emerging political and policy leaders in Illinois. In 2020, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, chosen by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation. He has also been named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 under 40 list in 2022, and their Who’s Who in Chicago Business list in both 2024 and 2025.

Dr. Vohra resides in Springfield with his wife, Tasnim, and two children.

Vohra briefed journalists in December 2025: Flu-Related Costs Soaring As Trust in Public Health Wanes.