FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 15, 2021
 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced the selection of Brannon Traxler, M.D., MPH, to serve as the agency’s Director of Public Health. Dr. Traxler will assume her role as director of Public Health effective Monday, April 19. 

"DHEC was fortunate to attract great candidates for this critical position and I sincerely appreciate their interest in serving the people of South Carolina,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director. “I am pleased to offer the position of Public Health Director to Dr. Brannon Traxler. She has done a terrific job in the interim role and I am confident that she will continue to do great things for her fellow South Carolinians."

A native of Greenville, S.C., Dr. Traxler most recently served as interim director of Public Health for the agency, a position she assumed after serving as Chief Medical Officer for the state’s COVID-19 response. 

“As a lifelong South Carolinian, I am dedicated to DHEC's mission to promote and protect the health of the people and environment of our great state, and it is an honor to be selected to work alongside our amazing DHEC team as we work together to improve the lives of all those who live, work and play in our state,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Public Health Director.  

During her time with the agency, Dr. Traxler has overseen:

• the agency’s response to the ongoing, historic pandemic, 
• statewide testing highs for the number of people being tested for COVID-19,   
• the rollout of South Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccination plan,
• the state’s Hepatitis A response as Chief Medical Officer, and   
• the agency’s completion of the process which helped led DHEC to becoming a nationally accredited public health agency.  

She is trained and board certified in General Surgery. She previously practiced as a surgeon in South Carolina before changing her specialty focus to public health, serving as physician for DHEC in the areas of infectious disease surveillance and control and emergency preparedness and response. 

Dr. Traxler earned her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and her Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University. She received her undergraduate degree in microbiology at the Clemson University Honors College. 

Click here for her official bio, and here for her photo.  

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