On September 10, Governor Mike DeWine named Joan Duwve, MD, MPH, as Ohio Department of Health (ODH) director. By the end of the day, Dr. Duwve had resigned from the position to which she was appointed and the search for a new director began anew.
Dr. Duwve reportedly declined the appointment upon learning of the threats made against former ODH Director Amy Acton, MD.
A graduate of North Olmsted High School, Dr. Duwve attended undergraduate school at The Ohio State University. She received a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan and her Medical Degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Most recently, Dr. Duwve served as the director of public health at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control under South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R). Prior to her time in South Carolina, she served as an associate dean of practice for the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health and developed and directed the ECHO Center to train providers in rural communities to treat patients with complex conditions. Dr. Duwve also served Indiana Governors Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence, and Eric Holcomb, as the chief medical officer with the Indiana State Department of Health and the medical director for the Department’s Division of Public Health and Preparedness. Before transitioning into her role improving public health, Dr. Duwve practiced family medicine.