Iowa leader of virus response leaving public health agency
FILE - In this June 18, 2020, file photo, Iowa state epidemiologist Dr. Caitlin Pedati updates the state's response to the coronavirus outbreak during a news conference at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Pedati said Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, that she was aware of widespread inaccuracies in the state’s coronavirus data when her agency used it to release flawed calculations that helped guide decisions on school openings and enrollment this month. Dr. Pedati said she became aware in late July of a problem in Iowa's disease surveillance reporting system that backdated thousands of new test results. [AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, Pool, File]
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Public Health medical director and state epidemiologist is leaving the job next month.
The agency announced Wednesday that Dr. Caitlin Pedati, a pediatrician, will “pursue new opportunities." Pedati has been in the job since 2018 and was a visible adviser to Gov. Kim Reynolds in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic last year, appearing in numerous news conferences.
Pedati has not been a visible presence recently as the state has experienced a surge in cases involving the delta variant. The agency says it plans to quickly fill the position.
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