Dr. Renia R. Dotson is the State Epidemiologist for Mississippi and Director of the Center for Public Health Transformation at the Mississippi State Department of Health. A board-certified general and colon & rectal surgeon with more than two decades of clinical and leadership experience, she brings a rare blend of frontline medical expertise, systems-level insight, and strategic public health leadership.

Before transitioning to statewide public health, Dr. Dotson practiced surgery for 23 years, most of that time in the Mississippi Delta, where she served as Chief of Staff, Chief of Surgery, and Trauma Medical Director, leading the restoration of the region’s Level II Trauma Center and strengthening rural health capacity.

In her current role, she guides Mississippi’s epidemiologic strategy, health system transformation efforts, and cross-sector partnerships to improve population health and address longstanding inequities. She also serves as Regional Health Officer for the Delta Region, leveraging her deep understanding of rural health challenges to drive sustainable change.

Dr. Dotson holds leadership positions on several boards, including the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, the Mississippi State Board of Nursing, and the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi State Medical Association. She is also Chair of the Board of Regents at the University of the South (Sewanee). Her contributions have been recognized through honors such as the Doctor of Distinction Award, designation as a Community Champion for the 70x2020 Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative, and graduation from the Milbank Memorial Fund Emerging Leaders Program.

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Dotson earned her BS in Biology from Sewanee, MD from the University of South Alabama, a General Surgery residency at Boston University, and a Fellowship in Colon & Rectal Surgery at the Colon and Rectal Clinic, an affiliate of the University of Texas in Houston. She later completed both an MPH and an MBA at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. Dotson resides in Greenville, Mississippi, with her husband, Dr. Wayne Dotson. They have two children.