Dr. Nancy Snyderman steps down as chief medical editor at NBC News

The doctor is out at NBC News.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who had to issue an on-air apology for violating a quarantine after being exposed to the Ebola virus, is stepping down from her role as senior medical editor.

A person familiar with the discussions that led to the move, who was not authorized to comment publicly, described the departure as a mutual decision.

In a statement issued Thursday, Snyderman said, “It is time now for me to return to my roots” and leave the news division to take a faculty position at a major medical school.

Snyderman cited her coverage of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia last fall for her leaving.

“Becoming part of the story upon my return to the U.S. contributed to my decison to return to academic medicine,” she said. “More needs to be done to communicate medicine and science to our viewers and citizens, especially in times of crisis, and with my experience in the field and on the air, that is going to be a priority for me.”

Snyderman traveled to Liberia to cover the Ebola crisis last October, when a photojournalist with her crew contracted the virus. She agreed to a voluntary 21-day quarantine when she returned to the U.S., but was spotted picking up take-out food at a New Jersey restaurant within that period.

During a Dec. 3 appearance on NBC’s “Today,” Snyderman apologized to viewers for violating the quarantine. “I stepped outside the boundaries of what I promised to do and what the public expected of me and for that I’m sorry,” she said at the time.

Despite the mea culpa, it was known inside the news division that Snyderman’s relationship with the network never fully got back on track.

Snyderman, who is a surgeon, joined NBC News in 2006 after a 15-year run at ABC.