New Jersey Health Commission to step down for family illness
New Jersey’s Health Commissioner Poonam Alaigh has confirmed she’ll step down from her post April 1 to deal with “an urgent illness in the family.”
Deputy Commissioner Mary O’Dowd will fill the role in an acting position.
Alaigh held the job for 14 months, and will leave to tend to her ill mother-in-law, NJ.com reports. Gov. Chris Christie has plans to nominate O’Dowd, deputy commissioner of senior services and health systems, to the commissioner’s job, while state epidemiologist, assistant commissioner and physician Christina Tan takes on the deputy role.
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