New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan to Step Down in January
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, who has led the city's health department since March 2022, said he is leaving for family reasons, adding to a string of senior departures from the Adams administration.
By Jacob Leary ·
New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan announced on Monday that he will leave his post in the Adams administration in early January, citing personal family reasons.
Vasan took over as the city's top doctor in March 2022 and oversaw New York's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. A public health professor and practicing primary care physician at Columbia University, he previously served as president and CEO of Fountain House, a national mental health nonprofit.
His exit is the latest high-profile departure from City Hall. It arrives as the Adams administration faces a series of federal investigations, although sources said Vasan's decision had nothing to do with those probes.
Earlier this month, Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban both resigned, with each departure tied to the unfolding investigations. Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, the first woman to head the FDNY, left over the summer after roughly two years in the job, and Sylvia Hinds-Radix stepped down as corporation counsel in the spring.
In a statement, Vasan said he had made "focus, ambition, and integrity" central to his leadership from the start. He described the health department and the broader public health system as being in a strong position. "I'm deeply confident that we have put in place critical initiatives to benefit New Yorkers, and we have the right team to continue this important work," he wrote.
Pointing to a list of accomplishments, Vasan called his tenure the "honor of my lifetime." He wrote that he made the decision in order to support his wife and three children.
Mayor Eric Adams thanked Vasan for his service since the start of the administration. The mayor said Vasan's background as a mental health expert and public health professional proved indispensable over the past two and a half years, a period that included rising COVID rates, Mpox outbreaks and a mental health crisis on city streets and in schools.
During his time at the department, Vasan launched HealthyNYC, a plan to raise the average life expectancy of New Yorkers to 83 years by 2030, among other measures.
Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for health and human services, said in a statement that the city is healthier for his tenure. She added that she looks forward to working with Vasan through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
Source: New York Daily News
