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Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan is a Board Certified Preventive Medicine Physician who aims to work on the population level to address health-related issues. Continuing his work to protect and promote the health of all San Diegans as the former Deputy Public Health Officer for the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Public Health Services, he currently serves as a Medical Consultant for the County. He has a strong interest in health equity and is mission-driven to improve the quality of life for all San Diegans via the Live Well San Diego Vision. In addition to population-based efforts, Dr. Sayone sees patients in the County’s public health clinics. He also continues to be an associate reviewer for the American Journal of Health Promotion.
Born in Nigeria to Sri Lankan parents, Dr. Sayone was raised in Toronto and Buffalo, New York.
He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Purdue University in Indiana, a medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
During his six years with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Sayone worked on tobacco control, diabetes prevention, alcohol and drug use, vital statistics, lead poisoning, Ebola, and other emergency response efforts. His clinical work included treating patients with sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, and, most recently, in a smoking cessation program for government employees. In his last position in New York, Thihalolipavan served as Medical Director of the Clinical and Scientific Unit in the Bureau of Chronic Disease and Tobacco Control.
