Rachel Levine Tapped For Post In Biden Administration

HARRISBURG, PA — President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health. Dr. Levine is poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning.

“Dr. Rachel 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. She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts," Biden said.

Dr. Levine has consistently been in the public eye since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, hosting regular news conferences alongside Gov. Tom Wolf.

Dr. Levine joined the Wolf administration in January 2015 as the Physician General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and served from 2015 to 2017. She was named Acting Secretary of Health in July 2017 and confirmed as Secretary of Health in March 2018. Her previous posts included Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

She is an author on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders, and LGBTQ+ medicine.

She graduated from Harvard College and the Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Levine completed her training in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.