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JACKSON, Miss. – Today the Mississippi State Department of Health announces the retirement of State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier, effective November 1, 2018.
Dr. Currier has served in the role of State Health Officer since January 2010, following her time as MSDH State Epidemiologist. With 34 years in government service, Dr. Currier has also worked for MSDH as a staff physician for its prenatal, family planning, STD, and pediatrics programs and as an associate professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine.
“It has been a privilege to serve in this role for nearly nine years. I have great passion for public health, and I have worked with some of the best people not only in the state, but in the country,” said Dr. Currier. “However, I have three beautiful grandchildren and a wonderful family who need me now. It’s time to pass the baton. I know the field of public health in Mississippi is in great hands.”
Deputy State Health Officer and former State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs will serve as Interim State Health Officer once Dr. Currier retires.
“I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Currier for several years in my role as a District Health Officer, and then work in tandem with her when I stepped into the State Epidemiologist role in 2012,” said Dr. Dobbs. “Her knowledge of public health and devotion to the people of Mississippi is unmatched. She will be incredibly missed.”
Under Dr. Currier’s leadership, the MSDH has attained numerous accomplishments such as the opening of the state-of-the-art Dr. F.E. “Ed” Thompson State Public Health Laboratory, the organizational transition of the agency from nine public health districts to three regions, and most recently, achieving accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board.
Board of Health Chairman Dr. Ed D. “Tad” Barham said Dr. Currier’s guidance of the agency for nearly a decade has been both steady and compassionate.
“She’s had to make some tough decisions along the way as the public health arena has dramatically changed in the last several years. I admire her fortitude, and she’s been a great leader of this agency,” said Dr. Barham.
A graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dr. Currier received her master’s degree and preventive medicine residency training in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Currier’s bachelor’s degree is from Rice University, and she also attended Trinity College in Dublin.
Currier is a member of the American Medical Association, the Mississippi Central Medical Society, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the American Public Health Association, and is Board certified in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health. She received the Nathan Davis Award for outstanding government service from the American Medical Association in 2016.
