Assistant Secretary for Health

The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who serves as the primary advisor to the secretary of health and human services on matters involving the nation's public health, and provides strategic and policy direction to the Public Health Service agencies and Commissioned Corps.

Assistant Secretary for Health
Seal of the United States Public Health Service
Flag of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Incumbent Dorothy Fink Acting  since May 26, 2025
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Style	Assistant Secretary Admiral[1]
Abbreviation	ASH ADM[1]
Reports to	Secretary of Health and Human Services
Seat	Hubert H. Humphrey Building, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C.
Appointer	President of the United States with United States Senate advice and consent
Constituting instrument	42 U.S.C. § 202 and 42 U.S.C. § 207
Formation	November 2, 1965; 59 years ago (1965-11-02)
First holder	Philip R. Lee
Website	Official website

The position is a statutory Senate-confirmed presidential appointment (42 U.S.C. § 202), who may be a civilian, or a uniformed four-star admiral of the PHS Commissioned Corps and is nominated for appointment by the president.^[2][3] The president may also nominate a civilian appointee to also be appointed a direct commission in the commissioned corps if the nominee so chooses.^[3][4] The assistant secretary's office and its staff make up the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH).

History

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs was established on January 1, 1967, following Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1966.^[5] The new position supplanted the surgeon general as the head of the PHS, with all PHS component heads now reporting to the assistant secretary.^[5][6][7][8] This was seen as undermining the chain of command of the PHS Commissioned Corps, beginning a long-term shift where Commissioned Corps officers were more responsible to the agencies they were stationed in than to the corps itself.^[8]

The office was renamed the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health following the Department of Education Organization Act in 1972.^[5]

In 1995, supervision of the agencies within PHS was shifted to report directly to the secretary of health and human services. This transformed the assistant secretary for health from a supervisory position in the direct chain of command, into an advisory one.^[8]

In 2010, the office's name was changed from Office of Public Health and Science to Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.^[9]

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Main article: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

As of 2018, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health oversees 12 core public health offices, 10 regional health offices, and 10 presidential and secretarial advisory committees.^[10]

The stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of the Assistant Secretary for Health if serving in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

List

No.	Assistant secretary		Term			Pay schedule or Service branch
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Philip R. Lee	November 2, 1965	1969	3 years	Executive Schedule IV
2		Roger O. Egeberg	July 14, 1969	1971	2 years	Executive Schedule IV
3		Merlin K. DuVal	July 1, 1971	January 20, 1973	1 year, 203 days	Executive Schedule IV
4		Charles C. Edwards	April 18, 1973	January 5, 1975	1 year, 262 days	Executive Schedule IV
5		Theodore Cooper	July 1, 1975	1977	2 years	Executive Schedule IV
6		Vice Admiral Julius B. Richmond	July 13, 1977	May 14, 1981	3 years, 305 days	U.S. Public Health Service
7		Edward Brandt Jr.	1981	1984	3 years	Executive Schedule IV
8		Robert E. Windom	1986	1989	3 years	Executive Schedule IV
9		Admiral James O. Mason	1989	1993	4 years	U.S. Public Health Service
10		Philip R. Lee	July 2, 1993	1998	5 years	Executive Schedule IV
11		Admiral David Satcher	February 13, 1998	January 20, 2001	2 years, 342 days	U.S. Public Health Service
-		Rear Admiral Arthur J. Lawrence[12] Acting	January 20, 2001	February 8, 2002	1 year, 19 days	U.S. Public Health Service
12		Eve Slater	February 8, 2002	February 5, 2003	362 days	Executive Schedule IV
-		Rear Admiral Cristina V. Beato Acting	February 5, 2003	January 4, 2006	2 years, 333 days	U.S. Public Health Service
13		Admiral John O. Agwunobi	January 4, 2006	September 4, 2007	1 year, 243 days	U.S. Public Health Service
-		Don J. Wright Acting	September 4, 2007	March 28, 2008	206 days	Executive Schedule IV
14		Admiral Joxel García	March 28, 2008	January 20, 2009	298 days	U.S. Public Health Service
-		Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson Acting	January 22, 2009	June 22, 2009	151 days	U.S. Public Health Service
15		Howard K. Koh	June 22, 2009	August 1, 2014	5 years, 40 days	Executive Schedule IV
-		Karen B. DeSalvo[14] Acting	October 2014	January 3, 2017	More than 2 years	Executive Schedule IV
-		Don J. Wright Acting	January 4, 2017	February 15, 2018	1 year, 42 days	Executive Schedule IV
16		Admiral Brett P. Giroir	February 15, 2018	January 19, 2021	2 years, 339 days	U.S. Public Health Service
-		Rear Admiral Felicia L. Collins Acting	January 21, 2021	March 26, 2021	64 days	U.S. Public Health Service
17		Admiral Rachel L. Levine[16]	March 26, 2021	January 20, 2025	3 years, 300 days	U.S. Public Health Service
-		Leith J. States[18] Acting	January 20, 2025	May 26, 2025	126 days	Executive Schedule IV
-		Dorothy Fink[20] Acting	May 26, 2025	Incumbent	41 days	Executive Schedule IV