dr. rachel levine 75 selected next assistant secretary for health

DR. RACHEL LEVINE ’75

Selected by President Biden and Confirmed by the Senate as Next Assistant Secretary for Health

Dr. Rachel Levine ’75 was President Joe Biden’s pick to become the next Assistant Secretary for Health and has been confirmed by the Senate. She served as Pennsylvania Health Secretary and has been widely praised for directing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine, Dr. Levine was previously Pennsylvania’s Physician General.

“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,” President Biden said in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.” Dr. Levine is the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Vice President Kamala Harris praised Dr. Levine as “a remarkable public servant with the knowledge and experience” to help contain the coronavirus pandemic and “protect and improve the health and well-being of the American people.”

Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania said of Dr. Levine, “Her work for our commonwealth has been transformational, and I appreciate it more than I can say. I and the people of Pennsylvania owe her a debt of gratitude for her leadership, strength, and dedication to protecting every person’s health amid unprecedented circumstances – and, at times, amid hateful distractions. Dr. Levine is both competent and compassionate, and never lets the anger or fear of others sway her from her goals.” Dr. Levine visited Belmont Hill in 2016 and spoke candidly in Hamilton Chapel about her journey as a transgender woman, urging the boys to be warm and accepting of others, to embrace and learn about them on their own terms. In her talk, entitled “Eye of the Hurricane,” she metaphorically used the hurricane to describe the world we live in, with so much going on around us at such a fast pace. “Being in the eye of the hurricane means that you will be calm and centered,” Dr. Levine explained. “Not only calm and centered...but uniquely who you are. You want to be comfortable in your own skin...comfortable in your actions.” At the conclusion of her talk, she was given a rousing standing ovation by the students and was clearly touched by the response.

Dr. Rachel Levine ’75 addressing the School in 2016 in the Hamilton Chapel.