D.C. Mayor Bowser has selected Dr. Sharon Lewis as the new interim director of DC Health after longtime leader Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt leaves her post at the end of the month.

Lewis, a 36-year employee of the health department, is a registered nurse with a PhD in health care administration. She currently serves as the Senior Deputy Director of the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration, overseeing 19 professional boards, 72 health profesions and managing a variety of other regulatory processes, including investigating licenses and inspecting health facilities.

NBC 4 reporter Mark Seagraves first reported the news.

Nesbitt, who announced her resignation in early July, will step down on July 30th, marking the end of a more than seven-year tenure at the agency. She joins a slew of other local health officials nationwide who — often facing scrutiny, burnout, and at times threats over their pandemic leadership — have stepped away from the field. (Upon announcing her departure, Nesbitt said she planned to explore career opportunities outside of government.)

Lewis will assume the interim role on Friday, July 29.  She told NBC4 that her top priority will be “public outreach.”

“I’m really excited about that and keeping our District residents informed about public health,” Lewis said.

She did not tell NBC4 whether she wants the job permanently. The city is undertaking a nationwide search for the next director.

Lewis assumes the role at a particularly difficult time for public health leaders, including managing two different virus outbreaks. Amid the spread of the highly transmissible BA5 COVID variant, the city is now struggling to contain a second, rapidly spreading virus: monkeypox. Since D.C. officials first identified the virus in early June, cases have climbed quickly, while vaccine supply has not. D.C. is reporting the highest number of MPV cases per capita of any state in the U.S.