Lurie practiced primary care medicine and joined the University of Minnesota in 1985.[2] At the University of Minnesota Medical School and University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Lurie rose to become professor of medicine and public health, director of primary care research, and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine.[2] Lurie also worked in state government and served as medical advisor to the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health.[1]
In 1998, Lurie took leave from her position in Minnesota to become Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, holding this position until 2001. In this role, Lurie worked on the Healthy People 2010 initiative and initiative to reduce health disparities, as well as pandemic influenza planning.[2]
After leaving HHS, Lurie became senior natural scientist and the Paul O'Neill Alcoa Professor of Health Policy at the Arlington, Virginia-based Rand Corporation, a think tank.[2][3] Lurie directed the organization's Center for Population Health and Health Disparities and oversaw its work on public health and preparedness.[2] Lurie testified before the Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in March 2006, explaining that "her work included evaluating public health preparedness in California and Georgia; conducting 32 tabletop exercises on hypothetical crises caused by smallpox, anthrax, botulism, plague, and pandemic influenza; and interviewing officials from 44 communities in 17 states."[2][4]
In July 2009, Lurie returned to HHS as Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services. In that position, Lurie oversaw the federal public health response to various health crises, including Hurricane Sandy and the Boston Marathon bombing.[2] Lurie was also appointed to oversee the federal response to the Flint water crisis.[5]
Dr. Lurie has been a volunteer physician at the Bread for the City clinic in Washington, D.C. since 1998. [1][2]