NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul has tapped former New York City Health Commissioner Mary Bassett to replace Howard Zucker as the state’s health commissioner.
Bassett, a doctor who currently serves as director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and as a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will become commissioner of the New York State Department of Health on Dec. 1, Hochul said in a press release Wednesday.
Zucker tendered his resignation last week. He was appointed to his position by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2015.
Hochul previously said Zucker would remain in the role until the new commissioner’s appointment.
“Our recovery from this pandemic requires tested leadership and experience to improve health equity and access across the state, and Dr. Bassett is perfectly equipped to lead the New York State Department of Health during this critical moment,” Hochul said in a statement.
“When I was sworn in as governor, I pledged to build a talented team with the skills, knowledge and expertise to stop the spread of COVID-19, return our lives to normalcy, and move our state forward,” she added. “Dr. Bassett is both a highly regarded public health expert and an exemplary public servant, and I look forward to working with her to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy.”
In her own statement, Bassett said she was “humbled and honored to return to my home state of New York to lead the Department of Health at this pivotal time.”
Bassett served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from 2014 through August 2018.
“The pandemic underscored the importance of public health, while also revealing inequities driven by structural racism,” she said. “As we move to end the pandemic, we have a unique opportunity to create a state that is more equitable for all New Yorkers.”
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