Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan is jumping off City Hall’s “Titanic” months earlier than planned.
The top doc will step down Friday instead of at the year’s end, officials said – the latest in a mass exodus of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration’s highest ranks amid escalating federal scrutiny and Hizzoner’s historic indictment.
Vasan’s accelerated departure was because of unspecified family reasons, he said in a statement released Tuesday.
“Those needs have taken on greater urgency, and so I have decided to move up my departure date to this Friday, October 18th,” he said.
Michelle Morse, the city’s chief medical officer, will serve as interim health commissioner as City Hall officials look for a replacement.
Vasan began his tenure in 2022 as COVID-19 continued to ravage the city. He has since oversaw efforts highlighting dangers of social media on youths and drew criticism for squeezing out small mental health day centers.
Vasan, who’s not tied to any known investigation into city officials, announced he’d resign in late September but stay on long enough for Adams to find a replacement.
His resignation was one of at least 11 high-level departures from City Hall after the feds raided several officials Sept. 4.
Most of those exits were officials under scrutiny, but a handful of untainted public servants appeared to take the opportunity to jump ship from Adams’ troubled administration, which one source previously described as the “Titanic.”
One official who was touched by the federal probes — Schools Chancellor David Banks — will also end his tenure this week.
Banks’ last day is Wednesday, after which Melissa Aviles-Ramos, the deputy chancellor and a former English teacher and Bronx school superintendent, will take over.
