The Ingham County Health Department will soon welcome its new medical health officer.
After nearly ten years in the role, Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail will be stepping down from her position in two weeks. Doctor Nike Shoyinka will be replacing Vail.
While the role will be new to Shoyinka, she’s already very familiar with the department. She’s been serving as the county’s medical director since 2019.
Shoyinka says she plans to focus on rebuilding public health programs that were paused during the COVID pandemic.
“The opioid crisis is still there, obesity is still a problem, housing is still an issue, HIV, STIs – all of those things are programs that we're at baseline where we serve our communities,” she said.
Shoyinka also says she wants to continue the work of building community relationships that Vail started.
“Making those relationships stronger, and putting infrastructure in place so that we can use those relationships to enhance and make sure that we can fulfill our mission and our vision,” she added.
With multiple decades of experience as an infectious disease doctor, Shoyinka says she's looking forward to helping Ingham County residents receive the health care they deserve.
Shoyinka’s first day as Ingham County medical health officer is Feb. 18.
