United States Assistant Secretary for Health

Assistant Secretary for Health
Incumbent Karen B. DeSalvo since August 2014
Formation	2 November 1965
First holder	Philip R. Lee
Website	Official Website

The United States Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) The "ASH" holds the rank of a Full Admiral. The ASH oversees all matters pertaining to the Public Health Service (PHS), the main division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the Secretary as well as provide strategic and policy direction for the PHSCC. The PHS comprises almost all the agency divisions of the HHS as well as the PHSCC, a uniformed service of more than 6,000 health professionals who serve at the HHS, other federal agencies, and/or are assigned details to the armed forces. The ASH is a civilian or a uniformed member of the regular corps and is nominated for appointment by the President. The nominee must also be confirmed by the Senate. The ASH serves a four-year term of office at the pleasure of the President. If the appointee is a serving member of the regular corps, he or she is also appointed as a four-star admiral in the regular corps ^[1][2] . The President may also nominate a civilian appointee to also be appointed a commission in the regular corps if the nominee so chooses.^[2][3] As such the position of ASH is the only office in the PHS that merits a four-star grade in the regular corps. Currently, the position of Assistant Secretary for Health is Karen DeSalvo.

History

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs was established on January 1, 1967 following the Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1966. The plan allowed the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to restructure the Public Health Service to better serve public health.^[4] The office was renamed to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health following the Department of Education Organization Act in 1972.^[4]

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

Assistant Secretary for Health

#	Name	Photo	Term of office		Appointed by
			Start	End
1	Philip R. Lee		November 2, 1965	1969	Lyndon B. Johnson
2	Roger O. Egeberg		July 14, 1969	1971	Richard Nixon
3	Merlin K. DuVal		July 1, 1971	January 20, 1973
4	Charles C. Edwards		April 18, 1973	1975
5	Dr. Theodore Cooper		July 1, 1975	1977
6	VADM Julius B. Richmond		1977	1981	Jimmy Carter
7	Edward N. Brandt, Jr.		May 14, 1981	1984	Ronald Reagan
8	Robert E. Windom		1986	1989
9	ADM James O. Mason		1989	1993	George H. W. Bush
10	Philip R. Lee		July 2, 1993	1998	Bill Clinton
11	ADM David Satcher		February 13, 1998	January 2001
12	Eve Slater		February 8, 2002	February 5, 2003	George W. Bush
(Acting)	RADM Cristina V. Beato		February 5, 2003	December 17, 2005
13	ADM John O. Agwunobi		December 17, 2005	September 4, 2007
14	ADM Joxel García		March 28, 2008	January 20, 2009
(Acting)	RADM Steven K. Galson		January 22, 2009	June 22, 2009	Barack Obama
15	Howard K. Koh		June 22, 2009	August 2014
16	Karen B. DeSalvo		August 2014

Notes

1. "PHSCC Uniforms". Retrieved 2008-01-19.
2. "42 USC 207. Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps". Retrieved 2008-01-19.
3. "Regular Corps Assimilation Program" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-01-19.
4. Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health [OASH].

External links

• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)