Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Chief Medical Editor for NBC News, has resigned her post of nine years and will pivot to teaching medicine at a major U.S. medical school, the network announced Thursday.
“I stepped out of the O.R. a few years ago and it is now time for me to return to my roots, so I am stepping down from my position as Chief Medical Editor at NBC News,” Snyderman said in a statement.
The doctor/journalist directly referenced the Ebola scandal she was embroiled in late 2014 as a reason for her decision to resign.
“Covering the Ebola epidemic last fall in Liberia, and then becoming part of the story upon my return to the U.S., contributed to my decision that now is the time to return to academic medicine,” she said. “I will be shortly taking up a faculty position at a major U.S. medical school. More needs to be done to communicate medicine and science to our viewers and citizens, especially in times of crisis, and with my experiences in the field and on air, that is going to be a priority for me.”
As TheWrap reported in October, a cameraman working with Snyderman tested positive for the deadly virus. The NBC news crew agreed to a voluntary quarantine upon their return from West Africa, and Snyderman drew criticism when she was spotted outside a restaurant outside Peasant Grill in Hopewell, N.J., violating the quarantine.
After the violation, the entire crew was put under a mandatory quarantine by the state.
Upon her resignation, NBC released a statement simultaneously, saying:
“Throughout her career with NBC News, Dr. Nancy Snyderman has provided her expertise on countless health and medical topics that are vitally important to our audience. She’s been a valuable voice both on air and in our newsroom, and we wish her all the best.”