Dr. Joneigh Khaldun Steps Down As Chief Medical Executive for State of Michigan

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced that Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the Chief Medical Executive at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is stepping down from her role to pursue a job outside of state government, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Governor Whitmer says as of Oct. 1, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian will serve as interim chief medical executive for the state. The State of Michigan will be conducting a nationwide search to select a permanent Chief Medical Executive.

“Thanks to Dr. J’s around the clock leadership, our state acted quickly with the best available data and science to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save countless lives during the pandemic,” stated Gov. Whitmer. “Michigan has one of the lowest number of cases per capita, and numerous studies show that the tough decisions we made helped save thousands of lives. At the height of COVID-19, we stood side by side to keep our state safe through one of the most difficult periods of our lives. Dr. J also sounded the alarm on COVID-19 disproportionately impacting people of color, and she co-chaired the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, which has made significant progress towards reducing COVID-19 mortality rate disparities for Michiganders of color. While we wish we could keep Dr. J at the helm, I wish her the best of luck as she moves on to a well-deserved opportunity. The State of Michigan and I are incredibly grateful for your service.”

“I want to personally thank Dr. Joneigh Khaldun for her unwavering dedication and service to our state,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist. “Her extensive knowledge and direction have been invaluable as we navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and she has been a critical leader of our Racial Disparities Task Force. She has been a tremendous example of what it means to be a leader, as she served not only as our Chief Medical Executive but also continued to provide lifesaving healthcare to patients on the frontlines of this pandemic in emergency rooms. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside Dr. Khaldun and to have learned from her.”

Dr. Khaldun’s last day will be September 30th.