DHEC picks health chief over two out-of-state candidates as COVID response continues

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is making its interim health director the permanent chief of the division as the agency continues to deal with the coronavirus and the COVID 19 vaccine roll out.

Brannon Traxler, a doctor who was put temporarily in charge of the health division last fall, was the best choice among candidates for the permanent director’s job, according to a DHEC news release Thursday. As director, Traxler becomes the top official focused on public health, reporting to DHEC director Edward Simmer who is in charge of both the health and environmental divisions.

““DHEC was fortunate to attract great candidates for this critical position and I sincerely appreciate their interest in serving the people of South Carolina,” Simmer said in the news release. “I am pleased to offer the position of public health director to Dr. Brannon Traxler. She has done a terrific job in the interim role and I am confident that she will continue to do great things for her fellow South Carolinians.”

Traxler was chosen over two other finalists for the post: Paul Jung, director of the division of medicine and dentistry at the Health Resources and Service Administration in Maryland and Henry Kurban, who has served as West Virginia University Medicine’s chief medical officer, according to resumes released by DHEC.

DHEC did not immediately provide the salary for the health director’s position.

Traxler has been heavily involved in the agency’s COVID 19 response, first as DHEC’s chief medical officer before becoming the interim health division chief last fall. She succeeds Joan Duwve, who quit the health director’s post in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic after about six months on the job last year.

The department’s coronavirus response has been a point of contention. At one point, the agency had no department director or permanent health division chief. DHEC has been criticized for what some considered a sluggish response to the pandemic, which hit the state in March 2020. Others say the agency has done its best to educate the public about the dangers.

Traxler becomes Simmer’s first major hire since he replaced Rick Toomey as director early this year.

Traxler is a Greenville native who has a medical degree from the University of South Carolina and a public health masters degree from George Washington University. She has an undergraduate degree in microbiology from Clemson University.

““As a lifelong South Carolinian, I am dedicated to DHEC’s mission to promote and protect the health of the people and environment of our great state, and it is an honor to be selected to work alongside our amazing DHEC team as we work together to improve the lives of all those who live, work and play in our state,” Traxler said in the news release.

This story will be updated