Infectious disease expert selected to lead RI Health Department
PROVIDENCE — Gov. Dan McKee on Thursday named Dr. Utpala Bandy as interim director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Bandy, currently the director of the department's Division of Preparedness, Response, Infectious Disease, and Emergency Medical Services, will succeed outgoing interim chief Dr. James McDonald.
“Dr. Bandy has vast experience as a public health leader and infectious disease epidemiologist in Rhode Island. She has been at the center of our state’s COVID-19 response and dozens of other major public health initiatives over the last three decades,” McKee said in a statement announcing the appointment.
“In addition to her work in infectious disease, she has extensive knowledge of preventive services and health promotion. Her steady hand will be critical as we continue getting as many Rhode Islanders vaccinated against COVID-19 as possible, and as we try to make Rhode Island the healthiest place in the country to live, work, and play.”
Said Bandy: “Rhode Island has one of the best public health workforces in the country, thanks to the talented professionals at RIDOH and the community partnerships that we have developed over the years. I look forward to partnering with Governor McKee and his team to support the crucial work happening throughout the Department to promote healthy living in every community throughout the state.”
Bandy will become interim director on Sunday. McDonald’s last day of state service is July 29.
Citing family concerns, McDonald on June 2 revealed his intention to resign effective at the end of July. McDonald began his interim service in January, when Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, who led the department during some of the worst periods of the COVID pandemic, announced she was resigning. She has since become a senior executive consultant for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
“My family life has changed significantly since we spoke about me being Interim Director in January of 2022. These changes have compelled me to spend substantial time in thought, prayer, and painful deliberation,” McDonald wrote in a resignation letter to McKee.
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“As with many Rhode Islanders, I have a family member who suffers from Alzheimer’s, specifically my mom,” McDonald wrote in his letter to the governor.
“She raised six successful sons, owned a business for over 50 years and was a vibrant community leader. At this point in her disease, she still knows who I am, and is still happy to see me and my family, yet I am not certain how long this will be the case.”
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McDonald wrote that his father, “the ever-faithful support during all of our lives, is challenged at age 91 to help my mom and maintain his health. It is evident to me; they need more help, help we can and should give them.”
According to McKee’s office, Bandy completed a pediatric residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and holds a master of public health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health.
She came to the Health Department in 1993 as the state epidemiologist and the medical director “for the division that oversaw RIDOH’s infectious disease prevention and control work” and in 2012 became director of the Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology.
Dr. Michael Fine, a previous director of the Health Department, praised the selection, telling The Journal in an email: "Dr. Bandy is a trusted friend and colleague who we’ve all relied on for many years. Rhode Island is lucky to have her, and exceptionally lucky to have her in this role."
A search is underway for a permanent director of the department.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Dr. Utpala Bandy named interim director of RI Health Department
