Rhode Island Department of Health will have a new acting director in the form of Dr. Staci Fischer, who has been named as the replacement for interim state health director Dr. Utpala Bandy, who is set to retire on March 29. Dr. Fischer currently serves as the chief administrative officer for the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline and will fill in as the acting director until a permanent health director is hired. The state is in the final stages of the hiring process and has proposed a $250,000 salary for the position effective in April to make it more attractive to potential candidates.
Dr. Fischer has been working for the health department since July 2023 and also serves as one of the state’s medical directors. She has experience overseeing training for medical residents and fellows, having previously practiced at Rhode Island Hospital for 15 years and holding positions as the director of Infectious Disease Fellowship Program at Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education and completing her doctorate in medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tulane University.
