Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine to retire
February 8, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout Gov. Phil Scott on Friday announced that Vermont Commissioner of Health Mark A. Levine M.D. will retire at the end of March.
Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine signs autographs for students at Crossett Brook Middle School during a 2022 event celebrating the school's farm-to-table meals program. Photo by Gordon Miller
As Health Commissioner during the COVID-19 pandemic, Levine became widely known and recognized throughout the state from his appearances and remarks at what at times were daily news conferences to share important health information with the public.
“Dr Levine has been a tremendous asset, to not only me but the entire state of Vermont. I know this decision weighed heavily on him, as he deeply loves helping others, which was apparent throughout his career in medicine as well as his last eight years in public service,” Gov. Scott said. “I will be forever grateful for his advice and counsel over the years, but especially during the pandemic, as he appeared with me daily at press conferences during those difficult days, giving much comfort to Vermonters as our very own ‘Country Doc.’ I wish him well in the next chapter of his life.”
Scott appointed Levine to the top health officer position in his administration in 2017. The 71-year-old Shelburne physician is currently one of state government’s longest-tenured commissioners.
Levine described the role as “truly career- and life-changing” to have served the people of Vermont.
Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine speaks at a COVID-19 press briefing in 2021. Screenshot ORCA Media
“The work we do is so meaningful, challenging, necessary, and gratifying. While proud of our accomplishments, none of them would have been possible without the professional, dedicated, resilient, and passionate team at the Department of Health,” Levine said. “They join me each day in enthusiastically getting up for work and striving to honor and accomplish the mission of the department.”
Secretary of Human Services Jenney Samuelson called Levine “a steady, reassuring voice through the pandemic” and since. “Each week, during marathon press conferences, he calmly tackled complex topics in epidemiology and public health. I am incredibly grateful for the service and partnership of my friend and colleague, and I wish him all the best in a well-deserved change of pace,” Samuelson said.
Levine's leadership, the Health Department focused on critical public health initiatives including focusing on children's health through visiting nurse programs for newborn children, lead exposure reduction, and prevention of adolescent drug, alcohol and tobacco use and vaping. He directed the department’s attention to opioid overdose and suicide deaths, health equity, and improving emergency preparedness for infectious diseases, natural disasters, and potential biological threats, the governor’s office noted.
Before taking the Health Department’s top job, Levine had an active practice in general internal medicine and was a professor and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, where he continues to teach medical students and residents. He served on the American College of Physicians Board of Regents, and as vice president and president-elect of the Vermont Medical Society.
Levine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Connecticut and an M.D. from the University of Rochester. He served his residency in internal medicine at UVM and completed a fellowship at the University of North Carolina.
Gov. Scott’s Press Secretary Amanda Wheeler said given the lead time ahead of Levine’s retirement, the governor will have several weeks to work through the process to name an interim or permanent health commissioner.