Dr. Nirav Shah to lead new health studies department at Colby College

File photo / Maureen Milliken Dr. Nirav Shah, right, is seen with Gov. Janet Mills during a press conference early in the pandemic.

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By Tina Fischer

Dr. Nirav D. Shah, who served as Maine’s chief epidemiologist during the COVID-19 pandemic, is returning to the state to help develop a public health program at Colby College.

As director of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention from 2019 to 2023, Shah was a trusted voice and face of pandemic response, holding regular televised news conferences that were praised for providing direct, uncomplicated information.

“Shah’s mastery of subject material, generosity of spirit, and calm leadership style have made him a trusted public health official at the state and federal levels and a revered public servant,” said Colby President David A. Greene.

“As Mainers witnessed throughout the pandemic, Dr. Shah is a natural teacher,” Greene said. “He has an extraordinary capacity to synthesize and communicate complex issues. He has become one of the world’s leading public health experts, especially in the fields of outbreaks and epidemics.

"It is Colby’s good fortune that he has decided to join our faculty and help us launch one of the top undergraduate public health programs in the nation.”

Shah recently stepped down from a two-year leadership position at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He will join Colby in the fall as a visiting professor in the department of statistics and will teach courses on public health while helping the college develop the new program.

Shah said he was “over the moon” about becoming a member of the Colby faculty.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to train the next generation of public health leaders,” he said. “Colby is well positioned to be a national leader in undergraduate public health education, and I’m honored to help play a role.”