Consistently in the public eye since last March, when she joined Mayor Lightfoot at those first, sobering news conferences announcing soaring coronavirus case numbers in the Chicago area and ever-stricter containment measures Arwady has become a cool-headed, wonky yet friendly presence in Chicagoans’ lives. Having worked on the ground in West Africa during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, she has brought serious cred to the podium. When she speaks, Chicago listens. And she’s made a critical difference, helping the city flatten the curve amid a floundering federal response. Arwady recognized from the start that the first step in any public health crisis is to command attention, and she did.