State Secretary of Health Everette James will step down from his position Oct 1. to become… State Secretary of Health Everette James will step down from his position Oct 1. to become Pitt’s first associate vice chancellor for health policy and planning.

In addition to offering advice on legal issues surrounding health reform, James will also serve as a professor of health policy and management in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health. James’ role in the school will include teaching, advising and researching topics related to health policy, according to a news release from UPMC.

“Everette James brings a deep understanding of health policy and planning and will play an instrumental role in furthering our relationships with governmental agencies and key health policy groups,” Arthur S. Levine, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at Pitt, said in the release.

James has served as secretary of health for two years, regulating hospitals, nursing homes and managing care programs throughout the state. During his time in office, the department has implemented a statewide smoking ban and “instituted the most comprehensive program in the nation to eliminate healthcare-acquired infections,” according to Rendell’s office.

James received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a law degree and master’s of business administration, both from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Governor Ed Rendell said in a news release yesterday, “I am delighted that Everette [James] is joining the University of Pittsburgh, where he will be working to advance health research and delivery in one of the premier integrated health systems in the nation.”

Rendell will appoint an acting secretary of health before James leaves for Pitt.