Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, stands outside a restaurant on May 6, 2022, in Palmer, her home city. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Dr. Anne Zink, who gained prominence during Alaska’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is leaving her position as the state’s chief medical officer.
Zink plans to leave the position in April after serving since July 2019. She told state officials and colleagues of the decision in January. While the state hadn’t announced the change, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, mentioned it during her visit to the Alaska Capitol on Thursday.
In an interview, Zink said she believed that “ the chief medical officer ideally would always transition between governor elections, not during governor elections, and to try to keep this position as apolitical as possible.”
Zink said she planned to continue to work on how health systems best serve patients. While she said didn’t have any specific future work to announce, she does plan to stay in Alaska.