Mpls health commissioner focuses on substance abuse, racial equity, climate

His own experience with deep poverty informs his work

A career in professional football is what Damōn Chaplin had in mind when he matriculated to Norwich University, a private senior military college located in Northfield, Vermont. An injury ended those dreams, but the Boston native wasn’t deterred. When he transferred to Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, to study biology, it was “all about academics.” 

Chaplin became the first member of his family to graduate from a four-year institution. Today, he is the commissioner of the Minneapolis Health Department, a position he was nominated for and confirmed to in 2023 after having distinguished himself as the director of health for the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. That said, a career in public health was not something Chaplin ever envisioned for himself, at least not early on. 

“I spent 15 years trying to get out of public health,” he says, noting that his initial foray into health or environmental work of any sort was in 1995 as a naturalist with Cleveland Metroparks.

When his father fell ill in 1999, Chaplin returned home to Boston, landing a job with the city’s Public Health Commission, where he worked on the issue of lead abatement. In 2004, his father passed away at the age of 54; a little more than a decade later, Chaplin’s mom died at only 64 years of age. 

“My parents left this world before their time,” observes Chaplin, “So, I started to think more honestly about my own life, my health.”

Coming of age in the projects, Chaplin struggled with asthma and was rushed to the local emergency room on several occasions. When he reflected on all the environmental hazards that disparately affect communities like the one he grew up in—be it an open incinerator on the premises, the precarious chemicals frequently used in pesticides, or any other detrimental health triggers—a “lightbulb went off.” Now, the public health arena no longer seemed like an occupation to Chaplin but rather “a calling.” 

“A small area. A high concentration of people. One way in, one way out. Chronic violence. That was my lived experience,” says Chaplin, “That’s what deep poverty looks like for so many people. And its impact on public health is devastating.”

Working tirelessly to end the cycle of poverty in urban communities is where Chaplin found both his passion and his purpose. He earned his MBA from Curry College and has continued to hone his vision and leadership skills at the local, state and national levels.

With over 25 years in the public health sector, Chaplin has served on numerous councils, committees and coalitions and is the current vice president and president-elect of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

In his role as health commissioner for the city of Minneapolis, Chaplain has put forth three primary areas that his department is addressing: substance abuse, including how this problem impacts homelessness in the city; racial equity in access to health care and health-related outcomes; and the city’s Climate Legacy Initiative (CLI).

As it relates to substance abuse, Chaplin, who served on the Opioid Recover and Remediation Fund (ORRF) Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services, understands just how critical it is to get this work right.

“It’s about harm reduction. Keeping people from dying,” he explains, “but it goes deeper than that. We must design tools and strategies focusing on treatment and long-term recovery and provide resources that reconnect people to their families and communities. And, of course, to prevent future users.”

Likewise, health equity remains a major challenge in Minnesota. Despite its consistent ranking as one of America’s healthiest places, the North Star State continues to maintain some of the largest racial gaps in the nation. And nowhere are these gaps more pronounced than in Minneapolis.

“Systemic racism continues to impact our city. Systems put in place long ago still run smoothly to the disadvantage of many,” says Chaplin, “So, we’ve got to elevate the level of discourse, shine a light on the things we see, the things that we can change. I see myself as a disrupter in that regard.” 

The Climate Legacy Initiative, approved by the city council in December 2023, seeks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make Minneapolis carbon neutral by 2050 while simultaneously becoming a nationwide leader in green careers.

Finally, as a father of four himself, Chaplin’s other concern is the overall health and wellness of our children as he and his department strive to make the City of Lakes a place where all of its residents can find health and happiness. 

“I think it is vital that we look closer at the impact of social media and how much time our kids spend on the internet and their cell phones. And the implications of all of this.”

For more information on the Minneapolis Health Department and its programs, services and resources, please visit www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/departments/health.