New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan is planning to step down by early next year, City Hall confirmed on Monday, as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration faces multiple federal investigations involving top officials.
In a statement on his resignation, Vasan said he needed to spend more time with his family, adding that his wife and children “have served alongside me, bearing the brunt of my absence and shouldering so much.”
“While this was a hard decision, it was the right one for me and my family,” Vasan said. “I also look forward to continuing my clinical work and teaching, while supporting initiatives to advance health, equity, and access across this city and this nation.”
Vasan has worked alongside Adams since 2022, when the mayor took office, and has helped lead the city’s response to COVID-19, a major outbreak of the virus mpox, and mental health issues. He gave his notice on Monday morning, according to Politico, which first reported the news.
“[Vasan’s] expertise as a mental health expert, coupled with his training as a public health professional, have proven indispensable to our city over the past two-and-a-half years as we’ve handled rising COVID rates, mpox outbreaks, and a mental health crisis both on our streets and in our schools,” Adams said in a statement.
Vasan came to the position with 20 years of experience in public health as an epidemiologist and primary care physician. He previously worked in the city’s health department between 2016 and 2019.
One of his priorities as commissioner has been youth mental health, which he said is at “crisis” levels. He launched the city’s popular online therapy program Teenspace and made headlines by declaring social media an official public health hazard.
Anne Williams-Isom, deputy mayor for health and human services, praised Vasan for helping to launch the Citywide Doula Initiative and other efforts to reduce racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.
“We are a healthier…
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