The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services,and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is a member of the United States Cabinet. The office was formerly Secretary of Health,Education,and Welfare. In 1980,the Department of Health,Education,and Welfare was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services,and its education functions and Rehabilitation Services Administration were transferred to the new United States Department of Education. Patricia Roberts Harris headed the department before and after it was renamed.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of the U.S. people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health,safety,and well-being of America". Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979,it was called the Department of Health,Education,and Welfare (HEW).
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities,such as states,counties and cities,often also operate a health department of their own. Health departments perform food inspections and other health related inspections,vaccination programs,free STD and HIV tests,tobacco enforcement and cessation programs,and other medical assistance programs. Health departments also compile statistics about health issues within their area. The role of a health department may vary from one country to the other,but their primary objective is always the same;safeguarding and promoting health. In 1986,several of the world's national health departments met to establish an international guideline by which health departments operate. The meeting was in Ottawa,Ontario,Canada,and hence the guidelines established are known as the Ottawa Charter. The Ottawa Charter was designed to 'achieve Health for All'.
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum,also known as the LBJ Presidential Library,is the presidential library and museum of Lyndon Baines Johnson,the 36th president of the United States (1963–1969). It is located on the grounds of the University of Texas at Austin,and is one of 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The LBJ Library houses 45 million pages of historical documents,including the papers of President Johnson and those of his close associates and others.
Wilbur Joseph Cohen was an American social scientist and civil servant. He was one of the key architects in the creation and expansion of the American welfare state and was involved in the creation of both the New Deal and Great Society programs.
Alex Michael Azar II is an American attorney,businessman,lobbyist,and former pharmaceutical executive who served as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021. Azar was nominated to his post by President Donald Trump on November 13,2017,and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 24,2018. He was also chairman of the White House Coronavirus Task Force from its inception in January 2020 to February 2020,when he was replaced by Vice President Mike Pence.
The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is a graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin that was founded in 1970. The school offers training in public policy analysis and administration in government and public affairs-related areas of the private and nonprofit sectors. Degree programs include a Master of Public Affairs (MPAff),a mid-career MPAff sequence,16 MPAff dual degree programs,a Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS),eight MGPS dual degree programs,an Executive Master of Public Leadership,and a Ph.D. in public policy.
William Pettus Hobby Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served a record eighteen years as the 37th Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He held that office from January 16,1973,to January 15,1991,for an unprecedented five terms;he was the last lieutenant governor to serve a two-year term and the first elected to a four-year term when the Texas Constitution was amended to lengthen terms for statewide elected officeholders to four years beginning with the 1974 elections. The principal duty of the Texas lieutenant governor is to preside over the Texas State Senate.
Eric David Hargan is an American lawyer and government official who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services from October 2017 to January 2021. A member of the Republican Party,Hargan previously acted in this role in 2007 under the George W. Bush administration.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) office responsible for the procurement and development of medical countermeasures,principally against bioterrorism,including chemical,biological,radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats,as well as pandemic influenza and emerging diseases. BARDA was established in 2006 through the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) and reports to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The office manages Project BioShield,which funds the research,development and stockpiling of vaccines and treatments that the government could use during public health emergencies such as chemical,biological,radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attacks.
Jeanne Lambrew is a United States professor of public affairs and health policy. She served in the Obama administration as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Health Reform.
The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) is part of the Office of Public Health and Science in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is responsible for reproductive health topics,including adolescent pregnancy,family planning,and sterilization,as well as other population issues.
Charles Edwin Johnson was an American civil servant. He had served as Acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from January to April 2009 during the Obama presidency. Johnson was appointed by then President George W. Bush in 2005 as Assistant Secretary for Budget,Technology,and Finance. He was a public accountant for 31 years prior to joining the department. Johnson died from blood cancer on January 7,2024,at the age of 87.
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is an operating agency of the U.S. Public Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services that focuses preventing,preparing for,and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. Its functions include preparedness planning and response;building federal emergency medical operational capabilities;countermeasures research,advance development,and procurement;and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters. The office provides federal support,including medical professionals through ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System,to augment state and local capabilities during an emergency or disaster.
Brett P. Giroir is an American pediatrician. He was formerly the U.S. assistant secretary for health,a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and an acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner.
Sidney Weintraub was an economist,foreign service officer,professor,non-fiction author,and novelist.
Karen Bollinger DeSalvo is an American business executive,physician and public health expert. She has been Google’s chief health officer since 2019. Previously,she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health,National Coordinator for Health Information Technology,and Director of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
Joseph P. O'Neill is a veteran American Democratic Party strategist in Washington,D.C. He is president and CEO of Public Strategies Washington,Inc. (PSW),an independently owned public affairs firm. Former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry is a partner at the firm.
Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center is the rural general hospital in American Samoa,and is the only public hospital located in Faga'alu,Maoputasi County. It has been ranked among the best hospitals in the Pacific Ocean. It is home to an emergency room and there are doctors on duty at all hours. It is a 150-bed facility. It includes TB,leprosy and obstetric units. The hospital was built in 1968 and is operating under a $50 million budget as of 2017. The executive director is Taufete'e John Faumuina.
Edwin Dorn is a political scientist who served as dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs from July 1997 to December 2004. He previously served as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from March 1994 to July 1997. Also in 1994,Dorn was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
