Elinore McCance-Katz, MD, PhD, resigned from her leadership position in HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after rioters supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol grounds Jan. 6.
Dr. McCance-Katz stepped down as assistant secretary for mental health and substance use. She was the first person to hold that position. Dr. McCance-Katz held that role for about three and a half years.
Dr. McCance-Katz said she had intended to remain in her role until President-elect Joe Biden's administration took over, but said she changed her mind after the riot.
"I believe that this behavior was totally unacceptable and, in my own heart, I simply am not able to continue," she wrote in a Jan. 7 statement. She added: "I cannot support language that results in incitement of violence and risks our very existence."