RIVERSIDE -- Interim Riverside County Health Officer Cameron Kaiser will remain in the position on a permanent basis, it was announced today.

The Board of Supervisors decided in closed session this afternoon to hire Kaiser, who has served in the interim role since the October 2011 departure of Dr. Eric Frykman.

"There are many challenges facing Riverside County when it comes to the future of public health," Kaiser said. "Riverside County, like the rest of the country, is moving from the Advertisement

[ Pala Mesa Resort ] era of communicable disease to the era of chronic disease. By getting at its root causes, we can not only help get people get well, but reduce its the chronic disease impact on future generations."

Kaiser, 36, earned his M.D. from Loma Linda University in 2003 and began working for the county as a family care physician in Banning in 2006.

As county health officer, he's responsible for enforcing local public health regulations and coordinating programs aimed at improving public health.