CHICAGO, Ill. – One of Illinois’ main faces during the COVID-19 pandemic is leaving her job in just a few weeks.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Doctor Ngozi Ezike is resigning March 14th — basically, she says, because she’s tired.
“The next steps are to finish out these next couple of weeks, and try to affect a seamless transition, to be able to step away from the role, try to reconnect with self and family, and just catch a breather,” said Ezike, at a news conference at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Ezike says given the state’s current pandemic situation, with new case numbers continuing to decline, now is a pretty good time to step down.
“I’m hoping that with all the vaccinations, and the therapeutics that are available, that we will have a quiet spring. Spring and the summer have typically been stable times. This is my chance,” Ezike said, laughing.
“Throughout this crisis, [Ezike] has been beside me every step of the way,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I don’t put it lightly when I say she has had one of the hardest jobs in the world. There is something particularly heroic about the service of an extraordinary individual who did not seek greatness but found it anyway.”
The Governor proclaimed Tuesday “Doctor Ezike Day” in Illinois.
Ezike is a former Cook County Juvenile Detention Center physician, and worked for the Cook County Health Department before that.
She calls the state job “the pinnacle of my career.”
