LAKEPORT>>> On Tuesday afternoon, the Lake County Board of Supervisors emerged from Closed Session to announce Robert S. Bernstein, MD, MS, MPH, PhD, had been appointed Lake County’s next Public Health Officer, effective Sept. 2, 2025. In addition to his medical degree and certification as a specialist in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Dr. Bernstein holds a Master of Public Health (Health Services Research and Administration) from Johns Hopkins University and likewise completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmacology at Yale University and a PhD in Biochemistry.
Over more than four decades of broad-based epidemiology- and Public Health-focused work, Dr. Bernstein has become an established and trusted authority which he practices with scientific rigor, personal integrity, and cultural humility. He has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, on a wide variety of Preventive Medicine and Public Health topics, based on work carried out in the United States, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Dr. Bernstein recently served as a Medical Consultant for the California Department of Public Health and has held leadership positions with State and County Agencies in Florida and California, including rural Butte and Tuolumne Counties. His professional journey has likewise included training as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Disease Detective” in the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, and CDC assignments with USAID, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Dr. Bernstein has been relied on to provide recommendations to the President of the United States and Directors of the CDC and FEMA, among many others.
Teaching and mentorship roles in Applied Epidemiology, including long-term work as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, have deepened his theoretical understanding, and brought a chance to help raise up generations of Public Health professionals.
Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Bernstein is a proud father of 20-year-old triplets: one serves in the United States Air Force, and the other two are college sophomores aiming for careers in Nursing and in Mental Health Counseling. Each of the triplets speak multiple languages.
“We are very pleased Dr. Bernstein has agreed to serve as Lake County’s next Public Health Officer,” notes Eddie Crandell, Chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors. “His passion for public health is clear, and his breadth of experiences and relationships will be a great asset to Lake County.”
“On behalf of Lake County Health Services, I extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. Bernstein,” adds Anthony Arton, Health Services Director. “This role is essential to safeguarding the health and well-being of our residents, and we are pleased to welcome a leader who brings both expertise and a strong public health perspective.”
“The Board of Supervisors’ confidence is very much appreciated,” affirms Bernstein. “This opportunity to bring the experiences I have gained over my career to make a true difference in Lake County’s rural communities is really special. I am really excited to get to know everyone and promote healthy communities, alongside the Board of Supervisors and Director Arton and the Health Services team.”
For a number of various factors, the role of Public Health Officer in Lake County, despite being one of the most lucrative positions in county government (the position salary ranges from $199,824 to $242,880 annually, based on information posted from the County of Lake, CA, as of March 3, 2025) has had a revolving door nature to it over the past few years.
Three years ago, Dr. Erik McLaughlin resigned following a short four month stint on the job. He had succeeding Dr. Gary Pace who announced his resignation in February 2021, returning to private practice following an often tumultuous tenure during the COVID-19 pandemic years.
