Governor Appoints Dr. Mary Bassett as New Commissioner of Health
Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Sept. 29th that Mary T. Bassett, MD, MPH, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Department of Health (DOH). The appointment will be effective Dec. 1st. A New York City native, Dr. Bassett served as the Commissioner of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) from 2014 to 2018. During her time there, she worked to close gaps in health care access disparities and was also at the helm during the city’s response to Ebola in 2014 and multiple Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.
“I am humbled and honored to return to my home state of New York to lead the Department of Health at this pivotal time,” Dr. Bassett said. “The pandemic underscored the importance of public health, while also revealing inequities driven by structural racism. As we move to end the pandemic, we have a unique opportunity to create a state that is more equitable for all New Yorkers. I look forward to working toward this with Governor Hochul and the team at the Department of Health.”
Dr. Bassett joins the ranks of many other key agency appointees the Governor has named since taking office in late August. Just over a month ago, the Governor also nominated Adrienne Harris to serve as Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services (DFS). Formerly a top economic adviser to President Obama, Ms. Harris will become the state’s top financial regulator tasked with overseeing the banking and insurance industries and their compliance with state laws as New York works to rebuild its economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Harris’ appointment must be confirmed by the State Senate; a vote is expected in early January.
LeadingAge NY is following all of the Governor’s key appointments closely and has continued our advocacy efforts with DOH throughout this transition in leadership.
Contact: Sarah Daly, sdaly@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8845