PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Rhode Island Department of Corrections has named Dr. Justin Berk as acting medical director.
Berk, who is currently an assistant professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, will replace Dr. Jennifer Clarke, who stepped down last week and served as director of medical programs since 2015, the Providence Journal reported.
Clarke stepped down after it was revealed that 488 prisoners and 112 staff had tested positive for the coronavirus in November.
The Director of corrections, Patricia A. Coyne-Fague, said in a statement that she is excited to have Berk on the health care services team.
“I am confident that Dr. Berk will be a critical and valuable member of our COVID-19 response team.”
Corrections Director Patricia Coyne-Fague acknowledged that Clarke’s departure comes at a challenging time for the department, but thanked her for improvements she made to inmate health care.
Berk is originally from Amarillo, Texas, and served his internship and residency at the Urban Health Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
