Knox County names new public health officer

Dr. Megan Edwards, a University of Tennessee Medical Center infectious diseases physician, has been named Knox County’s new public health officer.

She replaces an interim public health officer and will begin her new position in late March. Dr. Martha Buchanan was the longtime public health officer before submitting her resignation in 2021.

Edwards is a University of Tennessee graduate and earned her doctorate at East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine. She trained at Baystate Medical Center/Tufts University in Massachusetts and studied infectious disease in Maine, according to her biography.

Edwards will oversee interventions during public health emergencies and serve as medical consultant to Knox County Schools, according to the online job description. The health director also ensures law and code compliance, evaluates the effectiveness of health programs, coordinates with the Tennessee Department of Health and offers community education.

The salary for her full-time position is $242,772.82 plus Knox County benefits.

As Knox County's public health officer, Buchanan was thrust into the spotlight early in the COVID-19 pandemic as she established vital safety measures.

Buchanan served as both the Knox County health officer and Knox County Health Department director, but the positions have been split. The Knox County Health Department senior director is Kevin Parton.

The public health officer job description says the person will collaborate with the health department director "in facilitating a community approach to improve the county’s overall health."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County names new public health officer