Dr. Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks at a news conference in Augusta on April 28, 2020. His frequent and entertaining briefings made him the face of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

Dr. Nirav Shah, who became the face of Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and went on to become a top federal health official during the Biden administration, is returning to Maine to launch a public health education program at Colby College.

Shah, 48, had a high-profile role as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the pandemic, when he was often on television and online explaining the coronavirus to the public and answering journalists’ questions. Chocolate bars were named after him, coffee mugs were inscribed with the words “In Dr. Shah We Trust,” and he enjoyed a large online fan club.

As part of the response to the pandemic, Maine had one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation, at more than 80% fully vaccinated. After the vaccine became available in 2021, the Maine CDC coordinated mass immunization efforts at the Portland Expo, the former Scarborough Downs and other locations across the state.

Shah left Maine in 2023 after being tapped by the Biden administration to become principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

In an interview with the Press Herald on Wednesday, Shah said it was always his intention to return to Maine, as he and his wife, Northwestern University professor Kara Palamountain, kept their home in Brunswick to return to once his federal stint was over.

“It was a tremendous opportunity,” Shah said of the U.S. CDC job, where among other duties, he focused on the federal response to the bird flu. “It was an opportunity to help the CDC think about the big picture and develop a long-term strategy.”

Shah is excited to help stand up an undergraduate public health program at Colby in Waterville, where he will be a visiting professor.

“I will be leading an effort to create a public health undergraduate program, and help shape the future of public health training,” Shah said. “Interest in public health is as high as it’s ever been, especially among young people.”

David Greene, president of Colby College, said in a written statement that Shah is a “natural teacher.”

“He has an extraordinary capacity to synthesize and communicate complex issues. And that he does so with humor, compassion and a clear commitment to bettering the lives of others is all the more remarkable,” Greene said.

While at the U.S. CDC, Shah helped lead the response to the bird flu.

The agency determined bird flu was going to be a major concern about a year ago and sprang into action, Shah said. It has since sickened millions of livestock, primarily poultry and cattle.

“We assembled a team, started running at 100 mph, and never really slowed down,” Shah said.

The bird flu is currently considered a “low” risk for humans, but people who regularly work with or come into contact with high-risk animals should take precautions, such as wearing personal protective gear.

While bird flu has been detected in animals in Maine, there have not been any reported cases in humans. Nationwide, 70 people have tested positive for bird flu in 13 states, with one death, according to the U.S. CDC.

Shah also helped during the transition from the Biden to the Trump administration, where his last day on the job was Feb. 28.

Shah said he is not discussing what led to his departure at this time — other than the change in administrations coupled with his desire to return to Maine — or his thoughts on the Trump administration’s approach to public health. Shah said he may at a later time make public comments about the Trump administration.

Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who has made many false claims about vaccines, to oversee the U.S. CDC as health and human services secretary. Kennedy, in a Fox News interview this week, falsely claimed that the measles vaccine can cause the measles.

Shah said that in addition to the “warm reception” he and his family received in Maine when he started as Maine CDC director in 2019, the ability to make a difference in a smaller community was also a reason to return.

“There are opportunities to help people in every corner in Maine,” Shah said. “When you’re working at a large organization like the U.S. CDC, which has tens of thousands of employees, it’s hard to see the impact of any one particular thing you do.”

Shah anticipates that Maine will be his family’s permanent home.

“As soon as we moved to Maine we realized this is where we wanted to be the rest of our lives,” Shah said.