LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – After serving as the one of the lead players in Michigan’s fight against COVID-19, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is stepping down as the state chief medical executive and chief deputy for health.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer made the announcement Friday, and named Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian to serve as chief medical executive for the state beginning October 1. The Governor’s office says Khaldun has accepted a new position to pursue an opportunity outside of state government, which will be announced in the coming weeks. The State of Michigan will conduct a nationwide search to select a permanent chief medical executive.
With a background in internal medicine and infectious diseases, Dr. Bagdasarian has worked in Michigan and internationally for the last decade, authoring 40 publications on topics in infectious diseases and public health. Since early 2020, she has provided technical guidance on outbreak preparedness and COVID-19to the international community. For the last year she has served the State of Michigan in the role of Senior Public Health Physician with the Department of Health and Human Services, where she oversaw the SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy for the state.
Before serving as chief medical executive, Dr. Khaldun was the Director and Health Officer for the Detroit Health Department,
