Letitia Dzirasa

Letitia Dzirasa (born ) is an American pediatrician and public health official currently serving as Baltimore City's Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health, and Human Services. She returned to this role in July 2025 after previously serving from May 2023 to June 2024. Prior to becoming deputy mayor, Dzirasa was commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department from 2019 to 2023, where she was the first African American woman to hold the position and led the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland.

Early life and education Dzirasa was born . She attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she was a Meyerhoff Scholar and conducted public health research at Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate. Dzirasa credits LaMont Toliver, a former director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, with strengthening her passion for public service. Dzirasa completed a pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 2016, Fearless developed tools for Baltimore City to analyze health trends and help the health department allocate resources more effectively. Dzirasa began the role on March 11 and was officially sworn in on April 16, 2019, becoming the first African American woman to hold the position. She was credited with establishing systems that resulted in better outcomes for Baltimore compared to similar cities. A 2021 study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that Baltimore residents were less likely to become sick or die from COVID-19 and more likely to be vaccinated than residents in peer cities.

Personal life Dzirasa is married to Delali Dzirasa, with whom she co-founded Fearless Solutions.