Ohio Health Director Candidate Withdraws Hours After Nomination

COLUMBUS, OH — Hours after being nominated, Gov. Mike DeWine's nominee for next director of the Ohio Department of Health withdrew herself from consideration.

On Thursday afternoon, DeWine announced he was nominating Dr. Joan Duwve as the next director of the state health department. She would have replaced Dr. Amy Acton who resigned in June. Duwve was expected to begin work on Oct. 1.

Then, on Thursday evening, the governor's office sent out a brief notice saying Duwve "withdrew her name from consideration for the position of Director of the Ohio Department of Health."

It's unclear what transpired in the few hours between announcement and withdrawal, but DeWine's office said Duwve withdrew because of "personal reasons."

Duwve later said in interviews that she was withdrawing her name because she did not want her family to be targeted by protesters. Acton's personal home was surrounded by protesters during her tenure as director of the Ohio Department of Health.

"The Governor's administration will continue its search for a full-time Director of the Ohio Department of Health," a spokesperson said in an email.

Duwve is a Northeast Ohio native. She graduated from North Olmsted High School before attending the Ohio State University. She received a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan and her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University.

She has been serving as the Director of Public Health at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Lance Himes has been serving as the state's interim director of the Ohio Department of Health since Acton's resignation.