House Resolution 122

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND EXPRESSING APPRECIATION TO DR. THOMAS DOBBS FOR HIS INVALUABLE SERVICE FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI DURING HIS TIME AS STATE HEALTH OFFICER, ESPECIALLY FOR STEADFASTLY LEADING THE STATE THROUGH THE DAUNTING CHALLENGES OF THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

WHEREAS, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi's State Health Officer, recently announced that he will be resigning from that position at the end of July of this year after leading the State Department of Health through one of the most difficult and challenging periods in the agency's history; and

WHEREAS, a native of Haleyville in northwest Alabama, Dr. Dobbs went east to Atlanta to get a Bachelor of Science degree in applied physics from Emory University in May 1992, then returned to Alabama where he earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in May 1996 and a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from UAB in May 2000, and completed an internal medicine residency program at UAB in June 2000, and he is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs worked as an internal medicine and infectious disease physician in Laurel and Hattiesburg before beginning his career at the Department of Health in 2008, where he served in numerous roles, including District Health Officer for Districts 7 and 8 from July 2008 to July 2012, State Epidemiologist from August 2012 to September 2016, state TB consultant in 2009, and infectious disease consultant from September 2016 to the present; and

WHEREAS, after working as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for Quality at South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel from September 2016 to June 2018, Dr. Dobbs returned to the Department of Health to serve as Deputy State Health Officer from July 2018 to December 2018, when he was appointed by the State Board of Health to head the agency as State Health Officer; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs had only been State Health Officer for a little more than a year when he was abruptly thrust into dealing with the greatest public health crisis of our generation and this century as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread unchecked across the globe in a worldwide pandemic and arrived in Mississippi in March 2020 and began rapidly infecting, sickening, hospitalizing and killing our citizens; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs had to deal with the enormous and ever-increasing stress and strain on the state's health care system with diminished resources at the Department of Health as COVID-19 cases ran rampant and hospitals overflowed, which threatened to totally overwhelm hospitals and health care providers, and he led a team of professionals who quickly developed a plan to combat the dire consequences of the pandemic, lessen the severity of its massive impact on the health care system and the people of the state, and confront the numerous logistical and messaging challenges of the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, working tirelessly and incessantly through relentless wave after wave of skyrocketing COVID-19 cases and deaths, when rising hope would often give way to despair as the pandemic continued with its deadly assault throughout our state, Dr. Dobbs stayed calm and focused on the many demanding tasks facing him and delivered a consistent message about what needed to be done to stay safe and most effectively reduce the chances of contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to others; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs was drawn to public health early in his life, and he was already a veteran of public health campaigns when Mississippi had its first case of COVID-19, many of them undertaken after he became the State Epidemiologist in 2012, and that background together with his education and wealth of experience with infectious diseases, made him highly qualified and the right person at the right time to address the immense challenges of dealing with the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, colleagues of Dr. Dobbs say that his medical background and temperament have made him superbly well suited for his role as the leading public health voice in the state, being someone who is well-spoken and has the courage of his convictions, and who collaborates instead of dictates as a manager, persuades instead of criticizes as a leader, is an exceptional listener whether talking to a patient or a peer, is open to ideas from others and builds consensus while staying on task; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs is known for always being available and responsive to others seeking his advice and counsel no matter how busy he is, as one who leads by example, and as a collaborative, cooperative and communicative partner with others, and he is highly respected for his professionalism, sterling personality and stellar leadership throughout his tenure at the Department of Health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs genuinely cares about other people and he is known as a consummate physician who has exceptional skills with patients, having a masterful ability to communicate with them without lecturing, talk with anyone on their level, and simplify medical issues to be understandable by patients and the public, and by his actions and words throughout the pandemic, it appeared that Dr. Dobbs considered every person in Mississippi to be his patient and wanted to take care of them in the best way possible; and

WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the defining event of Dr. Dobbs' tenure as State Health Officer and he has been the public face of the Department of Health while leading Mississippi through the pandemic, but at the same time he was working tirelessly to ensure that the department effectively carried out its many other duties and responsibilities to the public, and he is leaving the department in a better place than when he arrived; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs' passion has always been infectious disease treatment and he has served in various roles related to that field, including medical director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation clinic in Jackson, clinical consultant for the Southeastern National TB Center in Florida, and infectious disease consultant for several hospitals in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, before joining the Department of Health, Dr. Dobbs held numerous faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, including at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, UAB and the University of Southern Mississippi, and after two intense years of leading Mississippi through the pandemic, he plans to return to the clinical side of medicine, particularly the communicable disease treatment of patients, and also step back into academia and teach and train health care professionals about public health and infectious diseases; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Dobbs has been a wonderful asset to the State of Mississippi and its citizens during his service and leadership as State Health Officer, a class act and a steady voice who guided us during our time of crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, a true public servant who devoted himself to the safety and health of all Mississippians and did about ten years of work during the past two years, and his many contributions to public health are greatly appreciated by the people of this state and he will be missed at the Department of Health, but we know that he will continue serving the citizens of Mississippi in other valuable ways as he moves into the next phase of his life and career:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we heartily commend and express our appreciation to Dr. Thomas Dobbs for his invaluable service, dedication, commitment and tireless work for the people of the State of Mississippi during his time as State Health Officer, especially for steadfastly leading the state through the daunting challenges of the COVID-19 public health crisis, and we extend to him our sincere wishes for the best in all of his future endeavors, including having more time to spend with his wife, Dr. Kim Dobbs, and their two sons, who have been his rocks of support as he was devoting so much of his time to the people of our state during the pandemic.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the State Department of Health and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.