Dr. Mark Levine — who as health commissioner helped steer Vermont through the largest public health crisis in a century — will retire at the end of March, Gov. Phil Scott’s office said on Friday.
Levine, 71, was first appointed in 2017, making him one of the Scott administration’s longest-tenured commissioners.
He became well known for his calm and reassuring presence at televised press conferences during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, fielding dozens of epidemiological questions and offering guidance to an anxious public.
Levine, of Shelburne, called his time at the state health department “career and life-changing.”
“The work we do is so meaningful, challenging, necessary and gratifying,” he said.
In a statement, Scott thanked Levine, calling him a “tremendous asset” to Vermont.
“I will be forever grateful for his advice and counsel over the years, but especially during the pandemic, as he appeared with me daily at press conferences during those difficult days, giving much comfort to Vermonters as our very own ‘Country Doc,’” Scott said. “I wish him well in the next chapter of his life.”
Health Commissioner Mark Levine Takes Off His Mask
Health Commissioner Mark Levine Takes Off His Mask
By Paula Routly
Health Care
Prior to his appointment, Levine worked as a primary care doctor and served as a professor and associate dean at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, where he still teaches today.
The health department advanced numerous public health initiatives under his leadership, including a nurse visiting program for newborn children and efforts to prevent teen substance use, a press release said.
“While proud of our accomplishments, none of them would have been possible without the professional, dedicated, resilient, and passionate team at the Department of Health,” Levine said in a statement. “They join me each day in enthusiastically getting up for work and striving to honor and accomplish the mission of the department.”
The Scott administration has yet to name Levine’s replacement, who will be tasked with leading the department into an uncertain future as public health agencies across the country seek to comply with a flurry of vague directives from President Donald Trump.