A leading figure of the COVID-19 pandemic in West Virginia is resigning from her post.
Dr. Sherri Young is leaving her position as the director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department.
In a press release Monday, Young said she took a new job offer. She didn’t disclose what role that might be. She will stay on as interim director until a replacement is found.
“I believe I have done everything I can to lead the health department through the pandemic and move it forward successfully,” Young said. “I was presented with an opportunity that I could not pass up, and for that reason, I am leaving my position.”
Young has been with the department for the past two years, and the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most weekends this past spring, Young directed large-scale vaccine clinics at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. She and her department also set up smaller clinics in every corner of the county to ensure all residents had the opportunity to get the life-saving vaccine.
Almost 99,500 people in Kanawha County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About 64 percent of the county’s eligible population is at least partially vaccinated. That rate is higher than the state average, which is 54 percent.
Most recently she has led an increase in mobile HIV testing that targets some of Charleston’s most vulnerable residents.
Previously, she served as the state’s immunization officer and medical director of the state’s Division of STD, HIV and Hepatitis.
Young is originally from Mullens. She studied at WVU and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from Marshall Health and Charleston Area Medical Center.