President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health.
A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017. Wolf hasn’t said yet who he will nominate to replace her. A graduate of Harvard and of Tulane Medical School, Levine is president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Biden says Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is releasing a statement following the announcement of the nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine to the position of Assistant Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services:
“As Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine has worked to save lives and protect our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is exactly the kind of crisis-tested leader our Nation needs in the position of Assistant Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services during this difficult time for our Nation. In addition to her leadership as Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Dr. Levine is also a nationally renowned medical practitioner. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the Academy for Eating Disorders. She is also the President of ASTHO, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Prior to her service as Secretary of Health for Pennsylvania, Dr. Levine served as the Physician General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
If confirmed, Dr. Levine will be the highest-ranking transgender official ever to serve in the federal government. I look forward to supporting her historic nomination.”