Tennessee Department of Health commissioner steps down
Dr. Ralph Alvarado, a practicing physician and former Kentucky state senator, has served as Tennessee’s 15th health commissioner since January 2023. (Timothy D. Easley/AP File)
Gov. Bill Lee has appointed the Tennessee State Epidemiologist as interim commissioner, effective immediately.
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Ralph Alvarado Tennessee Department of Health John Dunn Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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