Kris Box, MD, FACOG

Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Commissioner Kris Box, MD, FACOG, announced on May 12 that she will retire from her post at the end of the month. Chief Medical Officer Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP, will replace Box as state health commissioner starting June 1.

“It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to serve this administration, the Indiana Department of Health and Hoosiers across the state,” Box said in a statement. “The past five and a half years have been filled with challenges and opportunities unlike any that public health has ever encountered, and the public health workforce across the state has met those challenges with a heart and determination that have inspired me every day.”

In 2017, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Box to her office after Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. surgeon general.

 As state health commissioner, Dr. Box oversaw the Governor’s Public Health Commission, which led to a historic revamp and investment in the state’s public health system. Those investments include $225 million for local health departments and $100 million for mental health resources in the new two-year state budget. Dr. Box also helped establish the My Healthy Baby program to address maternal and infant mortality statewide.

Dr. Box became a household name for many Hoosiers starting in 2020 when she regularly updated the public on the COVID-19 pandemic, led vaccination efforts, and combated misinformation. Dr. Weaver, Box’s right-hand, led the state’s lab testing network and distribution of vaccines during the pandemic.

“I could not have had a better partner in this role, especially in this time,” Holcomb said in a statement. “(Dr. Box) genuinely cares about the health and well-being of every single Hoosier, and because of her dedication to the betterment of our overall public health system, the state is at the forefront of transformational change that will result in a healthier Indiana.”  

Dr. Weaver, who has served as IDOH’s chief medical officer since February 2020, practices medicine at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and is an assistant professor of clinical emergency medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

“Taking over the position of state health commissioner from Dr. Box is an enormous responsibility, and it is an honor to follow in her footsteps,” Dr. Weaver said in a statement. “Dr. Box has provided exceptional leadership during the past six years and her commitment to public health has been an inspiration to many. I look forward to building on her legacy.”