Dr. Nirav Shah, ’07, Appointed Second-in-Command at U.S. CDC
Dr. Nirav Shah leaving Maine to become second-in-command at US CDC
The director of the state Center for Disease Center for Disease Control, Dr. Nirav Shah, is leaving his post. Shah has been appointed Principal Deputy Director at the U.S. CDC, and will be second in leadership to U.S. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
When Nirav Shah became director of Maine CDC in June of 2019, he wasn't a household name. But within months, he would be. The pandemic catapulted Shah into a critical role guiding Mainers through regular briefings.
He became known for this calm, empathetic leadership as he oversaw restrictions on gatherings, shortages of PPE, mask mandates, and the eventual rollout of testing and vaccines. He also became known for his tendency to quote song lyrics to deliver a message, as he did describing the role of contact tracers in September of 2020.
"The bottom line here is that Maine CDC contact tracers are never going to give you up. They're never going to let you down. They're never going to run around and desert you," said Shah.
Read more at Maine Public