Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine will be nominated to be the next Assistant U.S. Secretary of Health.
President-Elect Joe Biden made the announcement Tuesday morning. Levine is poised to become the first transgender person to be confirmed to a federal office by the Senate.
“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,” Biden said in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.”
Prior to becoming Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, Levine was physician general and a pediatrician.
She has also played an integral role in the state’s coronavirus response.
