CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia will be looking for its third health officer since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday that Dr. Ayne Amjad is stepping down effective Oct. 1. She will continue to serve as a senior health adviser and appear in the governor’s weekly COVID-19 briefings.
Amjad said she will return to private medical practice in Beckley.
“I do miss seeing my patients,” Amjad said. “That’s a great bond for me and a great way for me to know really what is going on.”
Amjad was appointed to her role as health officer and public health bureau commissioner in July 2020. That came a month after Gov. Jim Justice forced out the previous commissioner, Cathy Slemp, after the governor said virus cases in the state were overstated.