Bristol’s Dr. Karen Shelton selected as Virginia’s new Health Commissioner

Governor Glenn Youngkin has selected Bristol’s Dr. Karen Shelton as Virginia’s new Health Commissioner.

Shelton was most recently the executive director of the Mount Rogers Health District and was a practicing OB/GYN in Bristol for 20 years.

Youngkin said in a statement that Shelton’s work in the public and private health sector brings a wealth of experience to tackle Virginia’s current fentanyl poisoning problems and challenges in behavioral health.

(FILE PHOTO: Dr. Karen Shelton in July 2021, furnished by Ballad Health)