Robert M. (Bobby) Pestronk is an American public health officer. On May 8, 2023, he was elected as a council member for the Village of Friendship Heights, Maryland, US. On May 15, 2023, he was elected chairman of the council. Council offices are located at the Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland. Mr. Pestronk's term as council member and council chairman ended on May 19, 2025.
Bobby also serves as a trustee emeritus for the Ruth Mott Foundation, a charitable private philanthropy in Flint, Michigan, which advocates, stimulates, and supports community vitality in North Flint through grant making in the areas of youth, public safety, economic opportunity, and neighborhoods as well as the public use of Applewood, the former home of C.S. Mott's family, and for the family's archives.
Career Bobby is the former executive director and a past president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in Washington, DC serving from 2006-2014. NACCHO provides programs and services to represent and support America's 2600 local health departments. As the former health officer for Genesee County, Michigan, Pestronk enabled Genesee County's 430,000 citizens to protect, promote, and improve their health and quality of life in partnership with community resources.
As the director of the Genesee County Health Department from 1986–2008, he administered clinical, regulatory, and other human service programs in the areas of personal, community, behavioral, and environmental health. His leadership and novel partnerships helped establish the Genesee Health Plan, the Greater Flint Health Coalition, some of Michigan's earliest local regulations to prevent exposure to tobacco smoke and products, and to reduce African-American infant death. Prior to his tenure as a local health department director appointed by the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, he served as a consultant and administrator for statewide maternal and child health programs at the Michigan Department of Public Health.
Pestronk is a past board member of the Michigan Health Officers Association (of which he is a past president) and served on the Board of the Michigan Association for Local Public Health. He is a Primary Care Policy Fellow through the United States Department of Health and Human Services and trained as a scholar through the Public Health Leadership Institute. He is past president of the Primary Care Fellowship Society and past president of the Public Health Leadership Society Council. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine Public Health Roundtable and of the National Advisory Committee for Turning Point: Collaborating for a New Century of Public Health. He was the first president of the Public Health Law Association. Pestronk received the John H. Romani Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Michigan School of Public Health Department of Public Health Policy and Administration and was presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Pestronk is the founder of PestronkGlass.com.
Writing Pestronk's published work includes articles in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, the Journal of the American Public Health Association, Health Education and Behavior, Public Health Reports, NACCHO Exchange and the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Chapters in books include those published by the American Public Health Association and Oxford University Press.
Publication List
Leep CJ, Newman SJ, Pestronk RM and Wohlfeld I, The Local Health Department. In: Erwin PC and Brownson RC, eds. Scutchfield and Keck's Principles of Public Health Practice. 4th edition. Clifton Park, NY: Cengage Learning. In press, 2015 Pestronk, RM, Local Health Departments and Primary Care Safety Nets. In: Michener JL et al., eds. The Practical Playbook, Public Health and Primary Care Together. New York NY: Oxford University Press, 2015 Etkind P, R Gehring, J Ye, A Kitlas, R Pestronk, J Public Health Management Practice, 2014, 20(4), 456-458. Executive Director's Column (Health Equity), NACCHO Exchange, 13(1), Winter 2014, 12-13. Pestronk RM et al., Accreditation on Target, J Public Health Management Practice, 2014, 20(1), 152-155. Executive Director's Column (Model Practices), NACCHO Exchange, 12(4), Fall 2013, 12-13. Executive Director's Column (Public Health Law), NACCHO Exchange, 12(3), Summer 2013, 12-13. Schneider, JK, RM Pestronk, PE Jarris, Ramping Up Policy Measures in the Area of Physical Activity, J Public Health Management Practice, 2013, May/June, 19(3) E-Supp, S4-S7. Executive Director's Column (SACCHOs), NACCHO Exchange, 12(2), Spring 2013, 10-11. Executive Director's Column (ePublic Health), NACCHO Exchange, 12(1), Winter 2013, 12-13. Pestronk RM, JJ Elligers, B Laymon, Public Health's Role: Collaborating for Healthy Communities, Health Progress (www.chausa.org), January–February 2013. Jarris PE, JA Monroe, RM Pestronk, Better Health Requires Partnerships and a Systems Approach, American Journal of Public Health, November 2012, 102(11), e4. Executive Director's Column (Model Practices), NACCHO Exchange, 11(4), Fall 2012, 10-11. Executive Director's Column (Climate Change and Public Health), NACCHO Exchange, 11(3), Summer 2012, 10-11. Executive Director's Column (Communicating the Value of Local Health Departments), NACCHO Exchange, 11(2), Spring 2012, 12-13. Executive Director's Column (Evidence-Based Practice in Public Health), NACCHO Exchange, 11(1), Winter 2012, 12-13. Executive Director's Column (Model Practices), NACCHO Exchange, 10(4), Fall 2011, 10-11. Executive Director's Column (Accreditation), NACCHO Exchange, 10(3), Summer 2011, 8-9. Executive Director's Column (Preventing Chronic Disease), NACCHO Exchange, 10(2), Spring 2011, 8-9. Executive Director's Column (Immunization and Infectious Disease), NACCHO Exchange, 10(1), Winter 2011, 8-9. Executive Director's Column (Model Practices), NACCHO Exchange, 9(4), Fall 2010, 8-9. Executive Director's Column (Emerging Public Health Opportunities), NACCHO Exchange, 9(3), Summer 2010, 12-13. Pestronk RM, Using metrics to improve population health, Preventing Chronic Disease, 2010; 7(4). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/jul/10_0018.htm. Accessed Jun 17, 2010. Executive Director's Column (H1N1 Community Preparedness), NACCHO Exchange, 9(2), Spring 2010, 14. Executive Director's Column (Advancing Health Equity), NACCHO Exchange, 9(1), Winter 2010, 17. Beitsch LM, C Leep, G Shah, RG Brooks, RM Pestronk, “Quality Improvement in Local Health Departments: Results of the NACCHO 2008 Survey,” in J Public Health Management and Practice, January–February 2010, 16(1), 49-54. Achieving a Culture of Quality Improvement: The Vision for Public Health in 2026”, MM Fallon, PE Jarris, RM Pestronk, HS Smith, PG Russo, in J Public Health Management and Practice, January–February 2010, 16(1), 3-4. Executive Director's Column (Model Practices), NACCHO Exchange, 8(4), Fall 2009, 9. Executive Director's Column (Leadership and Workforce Development), NACCHO Exchange 8(3), Summer 2009, 12. Executive Director's Column (International Public Health), NACCHO Exchange, 8(2), Spring 2009, 11. Ethics and Governmental Public Health Practice,” RM Pestronk and PD Jacobson, J Public Health Management and Practice, 14(4), July–August 2008, 327-8. President's Column (Informatics), NACCHO Exchange, 7(2), Spring 2008, 10-11. President's Column (Health equity), NACCHO Exchange, 7(1), Winter 2008, 6-7. Improving Laws and Legal Authorities for Public Health Emergency Legal Preparedness”, Pestronk Robert M., B. Kamoie et al., in Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Special Supplement to Volume 36:1, Spring 2008, The National Action Agenda for Public Health Legal Preparedness, ed. M. Ransom, 47-51 accessed on January 18, 2008 (http://www.aslme.org/cdc/pestronk.pdf). Assessing Laws and Legal Authorities for Public Health Emergency Legal Preparedness”, Brian Kamoie, RM Pestronk et al., in Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Special Supplement to Volume 36:1, Spring 2008, The National Action Agenda for Public Health Legal Preparedness, ed. M. Ransom, 23-27 accessed on January 18, 2008 (http://www.aslme.org/cdc/kamoie.pdf). President's Column (Model Practices), NACCHO Exchange, 6(4), Fall 2007, 6-7. President's Column (Improving Health Outcomes), NACCHO Exchange, 6(3), Summer 2007, 8-9. Public Health Connection: Q & A with the Public Health Workforce”, NACCHO Exchange, (6)1 Winter 2007, 22-23. Why Just Prepare for Emergencies When Full Use Is Possible”, Pestronk Robert M, J Public Health Management and Practice, 11(4) July–August 2005, 298-300. Public Health in Court: Who's to Judge?”, Pestronk Robert M. et al., J Law, Medicine & Ethics, Special Supplement, 32(4) Winter 2004: 47-49. Flint Photovoice: Community Building Among Youths, Adults, and Policymakers”, Wong, Caroline C., S. Morrel-Samuels, P.M. Hutchison, L. Bell, R. M. Pestronk, American Journal of Public Health, 94 (6) June 2004, 911-913. The Public Health Law Association: A New Partnership in Public Health Practice”, Pestronk, Robert M., Cynthia Honsinger and Montrece Ransom, J Law, Medicine and Ethics, Winter, 31:4, 2003, 714-715. A Partnership to Reduce African American Infant Mortality in Genesee County, Michigan”, Pestronk, Robert M. and Marcia Franks, Public Health Reports, 118(4), July/August 2003, 324-335. Considerations for Special Populations" in Law in Public Health Practice, Stone TH, Horton HH, Pestronk Robert M., ed. Richard A. Goodman et al., Oxford University Press, 2003, 211-241. Protecting Our Vulnerable Food Supply", Pestronk, Robert M. et al., J Law, Medicine & Ethics, Special Supplement, 30 (3) Fall 2002: 96-104. Working on Workforce: An Update on NACCHO's Workforce and Leadership Development Advisory Committee", Robert M. Pestronk, NACCHO Exchange, Fall 2002, 1(3), 13, 15. Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH 2010)", Practice Notes: Strategies in Health Education, Health Education and Behavior, June 2002, 29(3), 281-282. Planting a Seed", Pestronk, Robert M., J Public Health Management and Practice, 2002, 8(1), 36-38. Community-Based Practice in Public Health, Pestronk, Robert M., in Community-Based Public Health: A Partnership Model, ed. TA Bruce and SU McKane, American Public Health Association, 2000, pp. 71–82. A View from Here”, Pestronk, Robert M., Leadership in Public Health, the University of Chicago, Volume 4, Number 4, Spring 1999. Selig S. and R. Pestronk, “Working Toward Community-Based Public Health: the Experience of Flint, Michigan”, The Link, Vol. 7 (Winter, 1995). pp. 1 and 6. Blueprint for a Healthy Community: A Guide for Local Health Departments, July 1994, Cooperative Agreement V50/CCU 302718-07, CDC/NACHO, Committee Member/Contributor. Working Toward the Vision of Community-Based Public Health; a collaboration between the Genesee County Health Department and the University of Michigan, Selig, Suzanne and Managed Outcomes: A Strategy to Improve the Nation's Health, Pestronk, Robert M., et al. J American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Vol. 6, # 3, March 1994. Using Racial Tensions to Strengthen Coalitions and Promote Primary Care Services in an Economically Depressed Community, S. Selig, A. Brown, R. Brown, R. Pestronk, presented paper, Annual Meeting of American Public Health Association, 1993. What You Should Get For Your Health Care Dollars, Pestronk, Robert M., The Flint Journal, November 21, 1993. Managed Outcomes: A Paradigm Shift to Improve Our Nation's Health, Pestronk, Robert M., Primary Care Policy Fellowship paper, June 1993. Proving Your Worth...Evaluation in Dietetics, Pestronk, Robert; Anderson, J.; Larkin, F.; Thompson, F.; and Wong, F., Michigan Dietetic Association, 1984.