The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, will step down at the beginning of next year, he said in a statement Monday.

The commissioner said his last day would be in “early January 2025,” without providing an exact date.

Vasan, who took the helm at the city’s Department of Mental Health and Hygiene in March 2022, called the move a “hard decision,” but added that it was “the right one for me and my family.”

“As anyone with a family — or a chosen family — knows, you are never alone in service. My wife and three young children have served alongside me, bearing the brunt of my absence and shouldering so much," he said. "I’m grateful for their love and have chosen that now it is time to support them and their wellbeing."

“I thank Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom, and the entire administration for giving me this opportunity and for the great work we have accomplished together,” he added.

In a statement released Monday, Mayor Eric Adams thanked Vasan for his time in the role.

“His expertise as a mental health expert, coupled with his training as a public health professional, have proven indispensable to our city over the past two-and-a-half years as we’ve handled rising COVID rates, Mpox outbreaks, and a mental health crisis both on our streets and in our schools,” Adams said.

“I appreciate Dr. Vasan’s decision to stay on through early next year as we transition to a new commissioner, and we are confident that because of his hard work putting into place critical public health initiatives New York City is and will continue to be a safer and healthier place for a long time to come,” he added.