10/16/2025

WESTERN U.P. - The region will see a change in leadership at the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) this fall with the retirement of Cathryn Beer on October 24, 2025.  Peter D. Baril, REHS, MPA, WUPHD’s current Deputy Health Officer and Director of Environmental Health, has been named the Health Officer, effective October 25, 2025.  Baril has spent the last 23 years working in the field of public health and safety, gaining experience at four different health departments across the state as well as at Michigan Tech.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental health from Lake Superior State University, a master’s in public administration from Northern Michigan University, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from the University of Iowa.  Baril was Born and raised in the Copper Country and resides in northern Houghton County with his wife and three children.