Thomas Dobbs stepping down as state health officer

State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs will step down from his position the end of July, the State Department of Health said in a press release today.

Dobbs began his career at MSDH in 2008, and has held numerous roles including District Health Officer, State Epidemiologist, and Deputy State Health Officer.

His passion has always been infectious disease treatment, and he has served in various roles related to that field, such as medical director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, clinical consultant for the Southeastern National TB Center, and infectious disease consultant for several hospitals throughout Mississippi.

“I feel like the time is right for me to return to the clinical side of medicine, particularly the communicable disease treatment of patients,” said Dobbs. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at MSDH, particularly working with this dedicated health staff and advancing the field of health equity in Mississippi.”

Dobbs said he also would like to step back into the academic world. He has held numerous faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, including at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and he would love to teach and train healthcare professionals about public health and infectious disease.

Daniel P. Edney, MD, FACP, has been named Deputy State Health Officer. Edney is a long-time resident of Vicksburg, and a graduate of the University of Mississippi Medical School where he graduated summa cum laude and with other honors.

Edney is also a member of the American Medical Association and the Mississippi State Medical Association where he serves as Past President. He has served as Chief Medical Officer at MSDH for the past year and worked closely with Dobbs during COVID providing outreach and guidance to other physicians.

The Board will take up the issue of interim State Health Officer in one of its upcoming meetings.