AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that its current director, Dr. Nirav Shah, will be taking a job with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gov. Janet Mills made the announcement in a release, saying Shah has been appointed principal deputy director at the U.S. CDC. Shah will assume the new role, second in leadership under U.S. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, in March, according to the governor's release.
In the interim, Deputy Director Nancy Beardsley will serve as acting director, a position she held prior to Director Shah’s arrival, according to Mills' release.
Shah was appointed Maine CDC director in June 2019 and quickly became the face of Maine's COVID-19 response when the virus arrived in the state in March 2020. His voice, and knowledge of public health, served as a constant guiding presence for Mainers.
But he also quickly became more than just the man reading numbers and data on the other side of Mainers' screens. Mainers came to know him. His love of Diet Coke. His dog Quincy. His affinity for our very own Don Carrigan, and the many titles he gave him. And remember that time he Rick Rolled us?
His Facebook fan club has attracted more than 38,000 members. Cars sport bumper stickers that say “Keep calm and listen to Dr. Shah.” Mainers, in short, have embraced him and the thoughtful, reassuring, no-drama demeanor he displayed at dozens of televised news conferences throughout the pandemic.
“While I’m sad to leave the Maine CDC, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Shah said in the governor's release. “In my new role, I will be honored to serve not just Maine, but the entire nation and carry forward the good work that we have done here. As I prepare for this next step, I thank the people of Maine for taking care of me, as I’ve always asked them to take care of each other.”
"I take comfort, as Maine people should, in knowing that the U.S. CDC – and the American people at large – will soon become the beneficiaries of his leadership," Mills said. "Dr. Shah, on behalf of the people of Maine, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
In talking to Shah in March 2021, a year after COVID-19 came to Maine, NEWS CENTER Maine's Rob Caldwell wanted to get a sense of what the pandemic has been like for Shah. Not professionally, but personally. After all, he didn’t ask to become famous in Maine. Fate brought it on.
“I think it’s important for folks in Maine to know how thankful my family and I are for the support that we’ve received,” Shah said. “It’s not about me, though. It never has been.”
He said whatever trust he’s earned reflects not so much his work as the generosity of the people he serves.
“The fact that a guy who has lived in this state for not even two years, who’s from away, who’s got a funny name, and who’s only been around during the midst of crisis could, during the course of a global pandemic, be seen as somebody who speaks honestly and plainly and has accrued a little bit of trust, who throws in the occasional corny dad joke—the fact that such a person could be viewed as someone to watch, someone to listen to, honestly, I think that tells you more about the character of Maine people than it does about me," Shah said.
In response to the announcement of Shah's departure from the Maine CDC, MaineHealth CEO Dr. Andy Mueller commended Shah's steadfast leadership.
"Staying true to Maine’s motto of 'Dirigo,' Dr. Shah’s leadership through the worst pandemic in a century propelled Maine to top-tier performance for COVID response among the states. Working closely with DHHS commissioner, Dr. Jeanne Lambrew, Dr. Shah’s calm and sensible advice, as well as his leadership during our vaccination efforts, saved countless lives. We at MaineHealth are grateful for his contributions and sad Maine is losing him. However, we are also proud that he is stepping into a leadership role with the U.S. CDC, where he will no doubt once again distinguish himself as a public health champion. Congratulations Dr. Shah."