The chaotic departure of former Baltimore Health Commissioner Ihuoma Emenuga has left the city without a clear replacement — and officials are taking their time to find a permanent successor.

Emenuga, who served in the role for just six months, was terminated in July during an investigation into her failure to disclose outside clinical work she performed in addition to official duties. She was ultimately cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

Mary Beth Haller, who previously served as deputy director of the Baltimore City Health Department’s (BCHD) youth wellness and community health division, has served as interim health commissioner since August.

Neither Emenuga nor Haller responded to multiple requests for comment on the city’s ongoing search process.

Asked when the city could expect to fill Emenuga’s shoes, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said he was part of the search committee headed by Dr. Joshua Sharfstein — who was Baltimore’s health commissioner from 2005 to 2009 and now serves as vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at Johns Hopkins University. Sharfstein is one of Scott’s senior advisers on health policy.

“We put a group together including former health commissioners like Josh Sharfstein and some of the experts,” Scott said at a Dec. 18 press conference. “I will be interviewing and making the final decision as we move into the new year.”

Sharfstein expressed reluctance to comment on the record about the search without first consulting Scott spokesman Bryan Doherty, but acknowledged that he is leading the process alongside two other co-chairs: Dr. Esa Davis, associate vice president for community health at the University of Maryland, and Dr. Kim Dobson Sydnor, dean of the Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy.

Earlier this month, the city replaced a transportation leader in just one day. Asked what is taking so long to replace the health commissioner in a city with so much medical talent, Doherty said he wanted to “push back on the premise” of the question because the process should “not be rushed.”

“As the mayor said [Dec. 18], we have a number of exceptional candidates being considered and have established a robust interview process led by Dr. Joshua Sharfstein and a team of experts,” Doherty told The Sun in an emailed statement. “It is imperative that this process not be rushed, and in the meantime, the critical work of BCHD continues uninterrupted under the leadership of the Interim Commissioner Mary Beth Haller.”

Sharfstein declined to say if Haller is in consideration to become health commissioner on a permanent basis.

The online application for a new health commissioner, opened on Nov. 18, confirms Dec. 18 as the beginning of the resume review period and shows public-sector firm Baker Tilly as the recruiter. It is not clear why it took from Emenuga’s termination on July 29 until November to launch an application for the position.

The application also lists an annual salary range of $159,378 to $263,014 for the position — which seems consistent with the $225,000 salary earned by Emenuga.

Established in 1793, BCHD is the country’s oldest continuously operating health department. Past health commissioners, such as Leana Wen and Letitia Dzirasa, became notable public figures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Have a news tip? Contact Carson Swick at cswick@baltsun.com.