Dr. Nizar Wehbi to serve as North Dakota’s State Health Officer
Mike Nowatzki and Mike Kennedy
BISMARK- Gov. Doug Burgum has appointed Dr. Nizar Wehbi to serve as North Dakota’s State Health Officer, effective May 1.
Wehbi currently serves as deputy director of the Center for Health Policy and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
Wehbi has served as the Center for Health Policy’s deputy director since January 2016, conducting research and policy analysis to inform policymaking with a focus on improving population health and the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system. In that role, he led initiatives to address binge drinking and colorectal cancer and conducted analysis on the health care workforce shortage. As an assistant professor in the College of Public Health at UNMC, Wehbi directs the master’s in health administration (MHA) program, with teaching areas of focus that include health administration, health policy, t
BISMARCK - North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has appointed his fourth state health officer since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Nizar Wehbi is.
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Gov. Doug Burgum made the announcement Dec. 9 during a press conference in Bismarck.
According to the governor, the rate of the pandemic was forcing the mandate to be extended as a way to regain control of the Coronavirus in the state.
Originally, he started the mandate in mid-November using an executive order when the state was ranked first in the nation for new cases per capita. According to researchers from John Hopkins University, the state has dropped from first to tenth in the country in recent weeks.
As part of the original executive order, restaurants and bars were limited to 50 percent capacity and had to be closed between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.