King County's top health officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, is stepping down after 30 years

Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, will step down from the high-profile role later this year. Duchin announced Wednesday that he will retire on July 1, 2024.

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"Public Health – Seattle & King County is a world-class health department and it has been my great privilege to have had the opportunity to serve here with so many outstanding colleagues both in the department and from the King County healthcare system, the University of Washington, and with community partners who value collaboration, improving population health, and achieving health equity,” Duchin said in a statement.

King County's health department plans to conduct a national search to find Dr. Duchin's replacement. In the meantime, Dr. Mia Shim has been appointed as interim health officer. Shim is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, and the University of Washington School of Public Health. She is currently the chief medical officer for the health department's Community Health Services Division.

Duchin spent 30 years at Public Health – Seattle & King County, influencing the region's approach to public health and hot-button issues. Arriving in 1994, he was a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical epidemiologist who was assigned to the local health department to handle TB and HIV programs. In 1998, he became the department's chief of communicable disease and immunization. He stepped into the role of health officer in 2015. During this time, he also served as a professor at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

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As health officer, Duchin's name quickly became associated with King County's effort to combat the opioid crisis, including the proposal for safe injection sites in Seattle. But the pandemic considerably raised his profile as the region tackled Covid-19.

“His expertise and leadership during the first Covid outbreak in the nation in King County drew praise from around the country," King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. "Under his guidance, King County’s sustained response to the pandemic has led the nation, holding illness and death rates to among the lowest in major counties, while focusing on equity as a guiding principle in our work. I’m grateful for his wise counsel and for his long record of accomplishment on our behalf.”

In a statement, public health Director Dr. Faisal Khan added that Duchin handled "countless" outbreaks during his time at the department.

"And served as a national expert on immunizations and infectious diseases, shaping national policy and practice," Khan said. "His leadership on climate and health has driven our resolve to fight for a livable planet for this and future generations. And he’s been a mentor for scores of colleagues inside and out of the department. Jeff leaves a long-lasting imprint on public health practice and everyone it touches.”