Assistant Secretary for Health

The Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) serves as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active-duty officer in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). The ASH oversees all matters pertaining to the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), the main division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the Secretary and provides strategic and policy direction for the commissioned corps. The PHS comprises almost all the agency divisions of the HHS as well as the commissioned corps, a uniformed service of more than 6,700 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 officer 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 also a serving uniformed officer 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 direct commission into 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. The Assistant Secretary's office and staff are known as the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). The current Assistant Secretary for Health is Admiral Brett Giroir.

Assistant Secretary for Health
Incumbent Admiral Brett P. Giroir, USPHS since February 15, 2018
Formation	November 2, 1965 (1965-11-02)
First holder	Philip R. Lee
Website	Official website

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]

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.[5] Prior to 2010, the Office was known as the Office of Public Health and Science.[6]

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 of Assistant Secretaries for Health

No.	Assistant secretary		Term			Pay schedule or Service branch
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Philip R. Lee	2 November 1965	1969	3 years	Senior Executive Service
2		Roger O. Egeberg	14 July 1969	1971	2 years	Senior Executive Service
3		Merlin K. DuVal	1 July 1971	20 January 1973	1 year, 203 days	Senior Executive Service
4		Charles C. Edwards	18 April 1973	5 January 1975	1 year, 262 days	Senior Executive Service
5		Theodore Cooper	1 July 1975	1977	2 years	Senior Executive Service
6		Vice Admiral Julius B. Richmond	13 July 1977	14 May 1981	3 years, 305 days	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
7		Edward Brandt Jr.	1981	1984	3 Years	Senior Executive Service
8		Robert E. Windom	1986	1989	3 Years	Senior Executive Service
9		Admiral James O. Mason	1989	1993	4 years	U.S. Public Health Service
10		Philip R. Lee	2 July 1993	1998	5 Years	Senior Executive Service
11		Admiral David Satcher	13 February 1998	January 2001	3 years	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
12		Eve Slater	8 February 2002	5 February 2003	362 days	Senior Executive Service
-		Rear Admiral Cristina V. Beato Acting	5 February 2003	17 December 2005	2 years, 315 days	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
13		Admiral John O. Agwunobi	17 December 2005	4 September 2007	1 year, 261 days	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
14		Admiral Joxel García	28 March 2008	20 January 2009	298 days	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
-		Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson Acting	22 January 2009	22 June 2009	151 days	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
15		Howard K. Koh	22 June 2009	August 2014	5 years	Senior Executive Service
-		Karen B. DeSalvo Acting	October 2014	3 January 2017	More than 2 years[7]	Senior Executive Service
-		Don J. Wright Acting	4 January 2017	15 February 2018	1 year, 42 days	Senior Executive Service
16		Admiral Brett P. Giroir	15 February 2018	Incumbent	2 years, 184 days	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

References

1. "PHSCC Uniforms". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. 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). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
4. Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health [OASH].
5. "Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH)". HHS.gov. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
6. "Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)". 2010-09-22. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
7. Received a recess appointment on January 1, 2016 to continue serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health until the end of fiscal year 2016.

External links

• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)