New York, USA (CU)_ New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams revealed the name of New York City’s new health commissioner. He stated that the current health commissioner of the city, Dr Dave A. Chokshi, will remain in his position until March of this year, and will be succeeded by Dr Vasan. According to the media reports, Dr Ashwin Vasan, an Indian-American epidemiologist, has been named the New York City’s new Commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
Dr Vasan took to Twitter and commented on his new designation. He tweeted announcing his nomination that he was truly honored and humbled to work with the mayor-elect’s administration to assist New York citizens in their COVID-19 battle, effective from March 2022. Dr. Vasan was raised in Chicago and has lived in New York City for over a decade. He is also the president of Fountain House, a mental health charity organization located in New York. According to its website, the organization protects and fights for the dignity, rights, and hopes of those suffering with severe mental illness.
Dr Vasan is also a certified mental health expert with vast experience and a Columbia University professor of public health. Additionally, he holds a high-end educational profile. He graduated with a Master of Science in Epidemiology from Harvard University, earned an MD from the University of Michigan, and obtained a PhD in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
In response to the dramatic increase in COVID cases in New York City, Dr Vasan expressed his views saying that the city will further take innovative measures to protect its people. He said, “it’s spreading faster than any of us really imagined, but we’re prepared, and our city’s response will continue to focus on vaccinations and testing and strategies to keep people out of the hospital, to keep people from severe outcomes and from death.” New York City’s current seven-day average of COVID cases stands roughly at 20,000.