Lambton's medical officer of health is climbing the public health ladder.
Dr. Sudit Ranade announced his resignation Wednesday, after accepting a position in the Yukon, to be the territory's chief medical officer of health. His last day will be June 30.
He said he's looking forward to taking what he's learned in Sarnia-Lambton over the last 10 years, to work at a new level of the system.
"I think that working at the level of a province or territory is a different level of the system that I don't have as much experience in and I think I'm really looking forward to having an impact at that level," Dr. Ranade told Sarnia News Today.
He said he's excited to explore new challenges and settings.
"That's a big part of it. I think over time, in terms of how I envision my career, I want to address new challenges, new places, new systems, and just have a variety of experiences."
Dr. Ranade said he's really interested in the territory.
"I had the chance to provide a little bit of coverage up there for a few weeks. Not with the intention of anything related to this job, but the people there are just lovely. They're so warm and welcoming. The scenery there is so dramatic and interesting, very, very, different from the scenery that we have here."
He said the transition will be hard because Sarnia-Lambton will always hold special memories for him.
Dr. Ranade said it's where he landed his first job out of his residency program, started his family and has great friends.
"The work the public health staff have done through the pandemic has been absolutely phenomenal. How they pulled together to help each other, to help the community, I'm just so impressed. That's one of the hardest things to leave behind, is this amazing team of people who've become part of my family."
Yukon's Health Minister said in a news release Wednesday that Dr. Ranade will be responsible for providing evidence-based advice to the Government of Yukon on the territory's ongoing response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health matters such as the substance use health emergency.
"The first time you get to any new community, really the focus is about listening and learning," Dr. Ranade said when asked about his plans in his new position. "For the first little while, you really don't know how the system works, you don't know who does what, and you don't know who to go to, and so that's the first step. Afterwards, I think, the bigger things are thinking about the system as a whole, how well it's functioning and what are the kinds of changes that can be built into it in order to make it a better functioning system. Just like anywhere else."
Dr. Ranade starts his new job on July 4.
As Lambton Public Health looks for someone to fill the position of medical officer of health, Chatham-Kent Public Health is doing the same. Dr. Ranade has been helping serve Chatham-Kent since Dr. David Colby retired in April.