MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann retiring in February

Minnesota Department of Health Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann announced Thursday that she will be retiring Feb. 2, following a more than 30-year public health career.

Many Minnesotans became familiar with Ehresmann within the last two years, as she and MDH Commissioner Jan Malcom have been two key state public health leaders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ehresmann also assisted in a number of other state health outbreaks and issues over the years including a 2017 measles outbreak, 2014 Ebola preparedness, and 2019 H1N1 flu pandemic.

"Serving as the director of the infectious disease division has been one of the great honors of my life," Ehresmann said in a statement. "Like so many people who have worked in a job they love, I have mixed feelings about saying goodbye."

Ehresmann also served on a few national committees and panels including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, becoming the second nurse to ever serve on that panel at the time of her appointment.

"Kris Ehresmann is a true leader, and her experience and skill as a top public health advisor has been instrumental in leading Minnesota through the COVID-19 pandemic," Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement.

While MDH conducts a national search for a new infectious disease director, Emily Emerson, current assistant director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division will step into the role of director in the interim.