Meena Seshamani

Last updated

Craig Mullaney
​
​
(m. 2005;div. 2013)​
Meena Seshamani
Meena Seshamani, Director of the Center for Medicare.jpg
Seshamani in 2021
Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 8, 2025
Education Brown University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MD)
University of Oxford (PhD)
OccupationPhysician

Meena Seshamani (born 1977 or 1978) is an American politician and surgeon who has served as the Maryland Secretary of Health since 2025. She previously served as the deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 2021 to 2025.

Contents

Early life and education

Seshamani was born in 1977 or 1978. Her parents were Mani and Rama Seshamani. [1] Raised in Warren Township, New Jersey, she graduated from the Pingry School in three years, [2] afterwards attending Brown University, where she graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics, and the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Doctor of Medicine degree. [3] She then completed her medical residency training at Johns Hopkins University, where she was a surgeon specializing in head and neck surgery and conducted research on health economics, [4] afterwards graduating as a Marshall Scholar from the University of Oxford with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in health economics. [5] [6]

Career

Seshamani was an assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. [7] She was later the director of the Office of Health Reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, where she helped shape and implement the Affordable Care Act, afterwards working as the vice president of clinical care transformation at MedStar Health from 2017 to 2021. [4] [8] Seshamani later joined the Biden administration, advising the administration on its COVID-19 response before ultimately being appointed to serve as the deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in July 2021. [4] [7] [5] During her tenure, Seshamani was involved with implementing drug price negotiations passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. [9]

Maryland Secretary of Health

Seshamani attends a Cabinet meeting in November 2025 November 2025 Maryland Cabinet Meeting Meena Seshamani - Maryland Department of Health.jpg
Seshamani attends a Cabinet meeting in November 2025

In February 2025, Maryland Governor Wes Moore named Seshamani as the next Maryland Secretary of Health, succeeding Laura Herrera Scott, who resigned at the end of the month. [10] Herrera Scott's resignation came amid the 2025 legislative session, during which Moore proposed $457 million in budget cuts to the Maryland Department of Health's Developmental Disabilities Administration (though these cuts were later lowered to $164 million following negotiations between the governor and state legislative leaders), and a investigative report by The Washington Post that uncovered complaints of patient abuse and violence at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center. [11] [12] Seshamani took office on April 8, 2025. [10]

During her tenure, Seshamani focused on prioritizing behavioral health to improve drug treatments and prevent overdose deaths in Maryland, sought to rebuild trust with the disability community after funding cuts during the 2025 legislative session, and worked to implement systems to assist individuals affected by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made cuts to Medicaid and expanded work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. [13] [14] The Maryland Department of Health also made progress in addressing staffing shortages and safety complaints at the Perkins Hospital Center. [15]

Private life

Seshamani met her future husband, Craig Mullaney, when they were both students in Oxford. They married in 2005. [1] Mullaney filed for divorce in May 2013. [16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Meena Seshamani and Craig Mullaney (Published 2005)". May 8, 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  2. ↑ Retz, Christine (June 30, 1999). "Young woman hopes to one day help health-care system". Courier News . p. 42. Retrieved November 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Meena Seshamani, Maryland Secretary of Health". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Class Notes: Health Department Head". hopkinsmedicine.org. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine . Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Buttle, Rhett. "Making Healthcare More Accessible And Affordable: A Conversation With Medicare Director Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD". Forbes. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Indian-American health policy expert Meena Seshamani appointed to key Medicare position". The Times of India. July 9, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  7. 1 2 "CMS Announces Director of Center for Medicare | CMS". www.cms.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  8. ↑ Cancryn, Adam; Owermohle, Sarah (July 7, 2021). "White House keeps Covid messaging simple". Politico . Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  9. ↑ Messerly, Megan; Payne, Daniel (June 6, 2023). "Medicare drug price talks take shape". Politico . Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Brown, Danielle J.; Sears, Bryan P. (February 6, 2025). "Changes coming to Health Department". Maryland Matters . Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  11. ↑ Brown, Danielle J. (April 10, 2025). "Former CMS administrator takes helm of controversy-laden health department". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  12. ↑ Mettler, Katie (October 15, 2024). "How a 'climate of chaos' went unchecked at Maryland's max-security psych hospital". The Washington Post . Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  13. ↑ Conrad, Brooke (July 24, 2025). "New Maryland health secretary says state's relationship with Trump's HHS 'challenged'". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ Wood, Pamela; Cohn, Meredith (May 13, 2025). "How proposed Medicaid cuts could be a $1 billion blow to Maryland's budget". The Baltimore Banner . Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ Pilsbury, Nicole (October 30, 2025). "Perkins Hospital making progress on staff shortages, safety issues, lawmakers told". Maryland Matters . Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Case Details for Craig Mullaney Vs. Meena Seshamani (Stipuated To Jpt Richard C. Berra) - Trellis: Legal Intelligence + Judicial Analytics". Trellis Law. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
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