Statement of Mayor Bloomberg:
"I want to congratulate Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the medical director of the Office of School Health, on her selection as the new Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore. Dr. Barbot joins a long list of New York City Officials selected to lead organizations all across the country, demonstrating once again that when other governments look for innovative leaders, they very often find them in New York City.  I want to thank Dr. Barbot for her tireless efforts, particularly in her work modernizing the way health services are provided in schools.  Dr. Barbot is a consummate leader in public health and I wish her well." 

Statement of Dr. Farley:
"It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Oxiris Barbot during her tenure as medical director of the Office of School Health. Dr. Barbot helped us navigate a school system with 1,600 schools and 1.1 million students during last year's H1N1 flu epidemic. Her poise and management skill in getting the right messages out to school administrators and parents to ensure safety was a great asset. Dr. Barbot has also helped to bring new technology to our city's school health program by implementing electronic health records. Her efforts to address asthma through a targeted program in schools led to better management of the disease and increased education about preventing asthma in those neighborhoods that have the highest childhood asthma rates. Dr. Barbot has been a strong voice for providing health care to low-income children in the largest school system in the United States. Her leadership will be missed. However, we wish her great success in Baltimore. I look forward to working with Dr. Barbot as a fellow city health commissioner on the public health challenges faced by all cities."