Sara Enes, M.B.A., M.S.W., is Chief of Staff and a Deputy Health Commissioner at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. She has been in this role since 2023. As Chief of Staff and Deputy Health Commissioner, Ms. Enes leads innovative and critical Health Department initiatives and functions, including the construction of two new community health centers; representing the Health Department to City Council, Better Services PHL, and Philly Stat 360; spearheading the department’s continuity of operations planning; providing direct supervision of three operational and four administrative divisions; as well as overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Health Commissioner’s Office, including contract maintenance, union grievance, and right to know requests.
Prior to that role, Ms. Enes was the acting director of the Health Department’s Division of Disease Control, overseeing infectious disease control activities for COVID-19, measles and other acute communicable diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. She also oversaw the department’s bioterrorism and public health emergency planning and response activities.
The bulk of Ms. Enes’ time at the Health Department has been spent in Ambulatory Health Services, working her way up from a Patient Assistance Program Coordinator to Director at both Health Centers #2 and #6. In her role as director, Ms. Enes managed the operations of two multidisciplinary public healthcare centers responsible for delivering primary, auxiliary, and supportive healthcare and services during more than 50,000 patient visits, in more than 40 languages, per health center per year. During her time in the Health Centers, she directed day-to-day operations; assisted in the design and planning of the new Health Center #2 building; established community partnerships; implemented federal and state policies; responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the safety of her staff, switching to virtual appointments for patients, setting up and implementing COVID testing and vaccine clinics on-site; and developing programs to deliver food and fresh produce to health center patients.
Ms. Enes brings a wealth of academic credentials to her role, including a Master’s of Business Administration from George Washington University, both a Master’s and Bachelor’s of Social Work from Temple University, and she recently completed her certificate in Public Sector Leadership from Cornell University.
