Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced several new additions to the Ohio Department of Health on Twitter on Thursday, citing the pandemic as the reason for the new appointees.
DeWine named Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff as the Chief Medical Officer for the Ohio Department of Health. Vanderhoff had previously served as senior vice president and chief medical officer for OhioHealth, a healthcare outreach for the United Methodist Church, since December 2008.
He has a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio, according to a profile page on OhioHealth.
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, who has been serving for more than a decade as a Senior Vice President and as the Chief Medical Officer at @OhioHealth, has accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer at @OHDeptofHealth. pic.twitter.com/hA8kB3ODNN
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) November 5, 2020
DeWine also named Stephanie McCloud as the director of the Ohio Department of Health. DeWine had previously named McCloud as director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, a role in which DeWine said she “has done a phenomenal job.”
“She has the experience necessary to lead ODH as it carries out its important health functions while also battling the pandemic,” DeWine said in a tweet announcing the decision.
McCloud’s new position will oust Lance Himes, who had been serving as the interim director. Himes will now serve as the department’s senior deputy, where he “will lead the coordination of work to get a vaccine out to our citizens and will continue to work directly with Ohio’s local health commissioners,” DeWine said.
Lance Himes, who has been serving as interim @OHDeptofHealth Director, will be the new ODH Senior Deputy. He will lead the coordination of work to get a vaccine out to our citizens and will continue to work directly with Ohio’s local health commissioners. pic.twitter.com/zXoa3xhN8r
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) November 5, 2020
The governor also moved Kathleen Madden from her role as assistant director for Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management to chief of staff at the state’s Department of Health.
DeWine announced that several other key roles, including the Ohio National Guard adjutant, the Ohio Department of Aging director, the Mental Health and Addiction Services director, would stay the same.
“Fighting a pandemic demands a multi-faceted response — one that requires us to focus on our short-term needs, but not lose sight of our long-term goals,” DeWine said in his announcement.
Ohio currently has more than 221,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 5,000 confirmed deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
Photo “Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff” by Mike DeWine.
