CDC names new second in command
Nirav D. Shah, MD, has been appointed principal deputy director of the CDC, a role that is second in leadership under CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
Shah, who currently serves as director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), will assume the new role in March. He has served as director for Maine CDC since 2019. His appointment at the CDC comes as part of a broader overhaul of the agency announced by Walensky in 2022.
“While I’m sad to leave the Maine CDC, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Shah said in a statement. “I’m thankful for the opportunity that Governor Mills and Commissioner Lambrew provided me to serve the people of Maine. In my new role, I will be honored to serve not just Maine, but the entire nation and carry forward the good work that we have done here. As I prepare for this next step, I thank the people of Maine for taking care of me, as I’ve always asked them to take care of each other.”
Maine Department of Health and Human Services (Main DHHS) will conduct a national search for the next Maine CDC director. Deputy Director Nancy Beardsley will serve as acting director in the interim, which she also did prior to Director Shah’s arrival.
Mass Eye and Ear appoints chief of anesthesia
Benjamin K. Mizell, MD, has been named chief of anesthesia of Mass Eye and Ear, an international center for treatment and research and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
Mizell first joined Mass Eye and Ear in 2012 as a staff anesthesiologist and has led initiatives such as the organization’s electronic medical record integration. He will assume his new role Feb. 1. As chief of anesthesia, Mizell will oversee a department with more than 30 anesthesiologists and 15 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) with an expertise in procedures related to conditions affecting the eyes, ears, nose, throat, head and neck.
“After an extensive search, Dr. Mizell was the obvious choice to lead Mass Eye and Ear’s anesthesiology department given his management track record overseeing major hospital initiatives, expertise in anesthesiology care and operations and positive and passionate energy he has for patients and his medical staff colleagues,” CarolAnn Williams, interim president at Mass Eye and Ear, said in a press release. “Dr. Mizell’s expertise, with the collaboration of the departments of ophthalmology, otolaryngology and nursing, will help facilitate improvements for processes of hospital interfaces to streamline the overall patient and staff experience.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."