Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott abruptly fired the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ihouma Emengua, Monday night.
The administration did not provide a reason for the dismissal, but sent out a statement Monday evening saying the move was already in effect.
“Dr. Ihuoma Emenuga will no longer serve as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner and is no longer employed by the City of Baltimore, effective immediately,” Scott said in the statement.
Deputy City Administrator Simone Johnson will act as interim health commissioner until Baltimore finds a new permanent replacement.
Johnson has more than two decades of local and state government experience.
She previously served as the chief of staff and chief operating officer at the Baltimore City Health Department.
She also served as chief of staff for the Maryland State Department of Housing and Community Development and for the Maryland Transit Administration.
Emenuga took over as health commissioner after Dr. Letitia Dzirasa left the position to become the deputy mayor of equity, health and human services.
Emenuga had only been in the position for about seven months.
She previously worked as a managing partner at Vie health, a health care consulting firm. She also served as director of Baltimore’s Youth Wellness and Community Health division.