President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would make history if confirmed.
Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Rachel Levine for the position on Tuesday, and should she get confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first openly transgender to be confirmed in U.S. history.
“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. She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts,” Biden said in a statement.
Levine is currently serving as Pennsylvania’s secretary of health. Prior to her confirmation in March 2018, she worked in Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration as the physician general for the state. She held that position until 2017 when she was named acting secretary of state, and less than a year later, she was confirmed to the role.
Levine is also a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine and is the president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Levine, if confirmed, will work alongside fellow Biden nominee Xavier Becerra, who will serve as HHS secretary if he’s confirmed.
