State Hygienic Laboratory Director Christopher Atchison has announced plans to retire from the University of Iowa on June 30 after serving the university since 1999.

“It has been a wonderful opportunity to work with the University of Iowa during the last 19 years, especially for the last decade with the dedicated staff of the SHL who literally are prepared to work 24/7/365 to protect the health of Iowans,” Atchison said. “Iowa is well served by the Hygienic Laboratory and its nationally recognized expertise in regulatory science. This has been a high point in my career.”

While serving as SHL director, Atchison also maintained a long-standing commitment to the UI College of Public Health. He contributed to the development of the new college, and was one of its first faculty members and administrators when the college was formed in 1999. His appointments included Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Clinical Professor in Health Management and Policy, with secondary appointments in the College of Nursing and the Public Policy Center.

Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Iowa, Atchison was director of the Iowa Department of Public Health from 1991 to 1999 and assistant director of the Illinois Department of Health from 1987 to 1991. He served as President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and retires as Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

University of Iowa Vice President for Research and Economic Development Dan Reed praised Atchison for leading SHL, which has been at the forefront of public health issues in Iowa since it was established by Iowa Code in 1904.

“Under his guidance since 2006, the SHL has been an enormous public health asset to the local community, the state of Iowa, the region and beyond,” Reed said in an announcement to the university community. “He and the lab played a critical role in responding to the flooding of 2008, the influenza pandemic in 2009, and the threat of Ebola and Zika in 2014 and 2016, as well as many other health and environmental safety challenges in between.”

During Atchison’s tenure, he also oversaw the construction and the 2010 opening of a new, LEED-Gold certified building for the SHL in the UI Research Park. The building houses the largest open laboratory in the country.

He serves on the boards of the American Heart Association, Iowa Prevention of Disabilities Policy Council, the Patient-Centered Health Advisory Council, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and The Wellmark Foundation.

“I’m proud to have a career of more than 40 years dedicated to public service and public health,” Atchison said. “I look forward to continuing my support of these fields through state and national organizations that share the principles I believe in.”

Reed said a search committee will be named soon to begin seeking a new director, a process he hopes will conclude before Atchison steps down at the end of the fiscal year.