PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Dan McKee on May 10th, announced his nomination of Dr. Jerome M. Larkin as the next director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).

“Dr. Larkin is a proven leader in the medical field and his experience will be a vital asset to our team and to the people of Rhode Island,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Improving health outcomes for all Rhode Islanders is a top priority for our administration and I’m confident that Dr. Larkin will help us reach that goal.” 

With more than thirty years of experience in the health care field, Dr. Larkin is a licensed medical doctor in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and currently serves as the Medical Director of Inpatient Infectious Diseases Consultation Services at Rhode Island Hospital. 

Dr. Larkin currently works as an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and has received numerous teaching awards during his time there. He received his medical degree from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his undergraduate degree at Boston College. 

“Dr. Larkin has the experience to lead the dedicated team at the Rhode Island Department of Health as we work to address the critical public health needs of our state,” said Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest. “From health care system planning and addressing the opioid crisis, there are several interagency initiatives in which I look forward to having Dr. Larkin’s expertise at the table.”

Dr. Larkin has authored many abstracts, chapters, and works in peer-reviewed journals and publications and has been recognized with multiple awards and honors, including the 2022 Steven M. Opal Award for teaching excellence and the 2015 Beckwith Family Award for Outstanding Teaching, both from the Alpert Medical School.

"I look forward to working with Secretary Charest and Governor McKee, as well as the many dedicated and talented staff of the Department of Health in moving health care in Rhode Island forward,” said Dr. Larkin. 

Dr. Larkin is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases by the American Board of Internal Medicine and in General Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics. 

The Governor will submit Dr. Larkin’s name to the Rhode Island Senate for advice and consent.