PROVIDENCE — Governor Dan McKee has nominated Dr. Jerome M. Larkin as the next state health director, McKee spokeswoman Andrea Palagi confirmed to the Globe on Friday, nearly two years since Rhode Island last had a state Senate-confirmed chief leading the agency.
Larkin currently serves as the director of inpatient infectious diseases consultation services at Rhode Island Hospital, and is a professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School.
In a statement on Friday, McKee said Larkin is a “proven leader” in the medical field and that his experience “will be a vital asset” to the state.
“Improving health outcomes for all Rhode Islanders is a top priority for our administration and I’m confident that Dr. Larkin will help us reach that goal,” added McKee.
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McKee has had numerous health department chiefs since he took office in March 2021 when former governor Gina M. Raimondo was appointed by President Biden to serve as US Commerce Secretary. Former health director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott led the state through the COVID-19 pandemic and then resigned in January 2022. She and McKee were largely at odds over the handling of the pandemic, and she later endorsed Helena Foulkes for governor, saying that the state “needs change and needs new leadership.”
Shortly after Alexander-Scott’s resignation, McKee picked Dr. James McDonald as interim director. McDonald formerly served as the medical director of the state, and then he stepped down as department director less than six months later due to family health concerns. McDonald became the acting commissioner of health of the New York State Department of Health in January 2023.
Dr. Utpala Bandy, an infectious disease epidemiologist who helped guide efforts to dramatically reduce rates of new HIV infections in Rhode Island starting in the 1990s, succeeded McDonald. But Bandy retired last month, and McKee picked infectious disease specialist Dr. Staci Fischer to take her place as interim director.
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The search for a permanent director has been ongoing, but McKee has credited the length of the vacancy to pay: Rhode Island’s health director job pays $175,000, which the governor admits is less than neighboring states pay. This year, he pitched a $250,000 salary effective in April as part of a new effort to make the position more attractive to candidates.
”Dr. Larkin is a highly accomplished physician, researcher and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of infectious diseases,” said Lifespan Corp. president John Fernandez in a statement to the Globe. Lifespan owns and operates Rhode Island Hospital. “His leadership, expertise and experience have positioned him well to serve as the next director of the Rhode Island Department of Health.“
Larkin was recently awarded the 2022 Steven M. Opal Award for teaching excellence, and the 2015 Beckwith Family Award for Outstanding Teaching from the Alpert Medical School.
Larkin graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 1984 and received his medical degree from the Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine in Piscataway, New Jersey. He completed his residency training at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.