Ralph Alvarado

Ralph A. Alvarado (born April 30, 1970) is an American physician and politician who most recently served as the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health from 2023 until his resignation in 2025.^[1] He served as a member of the Kentucky Senate representing the 28th District from 2015 to 2023.^[2] Upon taking office, he became the first Hispanic person elected to the Kentucky General Assembly. His father is from Costa Rica and his mother is from Argentina.^[3] He assumed office on January 1, 2015, serving until January 6, 2023, when he would resign to accept the role of commissioner.

Ralph Alvarado
15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health
In office January 16, 2023 – July 11, 2025
Governor	Bill Lee
Preceded by	Morgan McDonald (acting)
Succeeded by	John Dunn (acting)
Member of the Kentucky Senate from the 28th district
In office January 1, 2015 – January 6, 2023
Preceded by	R. J. Palmer
Succeeded by	Greg Elkins
Personal details
Born	(1970-04-30) April 30, 1970 (age 55) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Loma Linda University (BS, MD)

Biography

Alvarado was born April 30, 1970, in San Francisco, California and raised in Pacifica and San Jose, California. He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose in 1988.^[4][5] In 1990, Alvarado graduated from Loma Linda University in California with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and completed an MD from the same university in 1994.^[6] He completed his residency at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.^[7]

Politics

In 2014, Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky State Senate representing Kentucky's 28th Senate district. In 2016, he spoke at the Republican National Convention.^[8][9] He sponsored a 2017 medical malpractice bill that was later struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court for obstructing access to the courts.^[10] Alvarado was chosen by Governor Matt Bevin to be his running mate in the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election.^[11] The Bevin-Alvarado ticket lost the general election on November 5, 2019, to the Democratic ticket of Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman. On November 22, 2022, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that he had appointed Alvarado commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health.^[12] Alvarado would resign from the Kentucky Senate on January 6, 2023, and become the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health on January 16, 2023.^[13] A special election was held on May 16, 2023, to fill the 28th Senate District vacancy created by Alvarado's resignation. Republican candidate Greg Elkins defeated Democratic candidate Robert Sainte and Independent candidate Richard Henderson. On July 8, 2025, Alvarado revealed he was considering a run for Kentucky's 6th congressional district seat being vacated by Rep. Andy Barr, due to the latter's candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Mitch McConnell. On July 11, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that, effective immediately, Alvarado had resigned his role as health commissioner.^[14]