DC Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt, who led the city’s response to the pandemic for the past two years, will be leaving her post at the end of July.

Nesbitt will be moving onto “endeavors” outside of D.C. government, according to a statement from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office on Wednesday afternoon announcing the departure.

“As D.C.’s doctor, she has made our community incredibly proud, leading DC Health with expertise, compassion and a deep understanding of what it takes to build healthier neighborhoods,” Bowser wrote in a statement.

Nesbitt’s resignation marks the end of a more than seven-year tenure at the health agency, the last two were spent largely in the public eye crafting the city’s response to COVID. She joins a legion of health officials across the U.S. who have left their roles during the pandemic. Some faced political backlash, burnout, and at times, violent and hateful messages. Former Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles resigned in August 2021, after receiving messages threatening him and his family.

According to the Washington Post, which first reported the news, Nesbitt’s decision to step down was driven mainly by a desire to explore new career opportunities outside of government.

“What you learn about working in state and local government is there are so many players who need to be involved in keeping communities healthy,” she told the Post. “I want an opportunity to look at things from a different vantage point.”

While nationally D.C. was ranked well on its pandemic response, Nesbitt (and DC Health) wasn’t without critics at home. In September 2020, emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request suggested that the agency had fudged its COVID data in order to move into the second phase of reopening, a questionable move that shook some residents’ trust in the agency. D.C.’s initial rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine was anything but smooth — or equitable — and residents often criticized the agency’s decisions to do things when they did them — like lifting mask mandates or reopening indoor dining. Most recently, DC Health failed to report weeks of COVID data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prompting local lawmakers to question the agency.

In response to a request from D.C. Council members calling on DC Health to ramp up its COVID reporting, Nesbitt wrote of the burnout of DC Health staff. These factors make her decision to move on not all that surprising. During the first year of the pandemic and other subsequent surges, she regularly made herself available during press conferences, often attempting to explain confusing data sets or certain public health ideas in terms average residents could understand.

“Dr. Nesbitt answered every question our community had about COVID-19, viruses, vaccinations, and so much more,” reads Bowser’s statement. “Her passion for helping people and for building healthier, more equitable communities has been a tremendous asset to our city and now we wish her well as she moves on to the next chapter in her career.”

Nesbitt’s departure comes shortly after DC Health announced the end of its contact tracing program, underscoring how the city’s response to the pandemic has shifted from public to personal in recent months. She’s also stepping down as cases of monkeypox surge, and the city attempts to stand up another vaccination program for eligible residents.

According to Bowser’s statement, an interim director will be announced at some point in the future.