New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, who was just named to the job last January, announced on Friday that she will be resigning at the end of this year.
Bassett said she will return to her previous work at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
In a statement released on Friday, Bassett said that it was a difficult decision, but she’s leaving so that the next health commissioner can have a chance to lead the department for the full four-year term that Hochul will start in January.
“I have tremendous admiration for the work our staff has done during a very difficult year responding to COVID, mpox, polio and the day-to-day challenges of protecting New Yorkers’ health,” Bassett said.
Bassett was named to lead the health department by Hochul last fall, after Hochul took over for Andrew Cuomo when he resigned as governor.
And Bassett replaced Dr. Howard Zucker, who had faced mounting criticism over the state’s COVID-19 policies while Cuomo was governor.
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