Sameer Vohra is the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. He is a general pediatrician and cross-disciplinary leader in state and national health policy formulation. His recent focus has been on improving health outcomes in central and southern Illinois. An associate professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIU SOM), Dr. Vohra also serves as interim chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership.

Dr. Vohra serves on the IDPH Illinois State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, and recently completed a term on the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee. He previously served on national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of American Medical Colleges, and American Medical Association, and on the Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society Board of Trustees. In 2020, Dr. Vohra was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, selected by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation.

Dr. Vohra completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. He holds a medical doctorate from SIU SOM, a juris doctorate from SIU School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and science in human culture from Northwestern University.