Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Name	Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Formed	1979
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Chief	Assistant Secretary for Health
Parentagency	United States Department of Health and Human Services

Contents

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health is an office within the United States Department of Health and Human Services that coordinates national public health policy and oversees staff divisions such as the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and advisory bodies including the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Established to integrate federal health activities, it operates at the nexus of federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration while advising Secretaries such as Kathleen Sebelius and Alex Azar.

History

The office traces its roots to reorganizations following the creation of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and later the Department of Health and Human Services under the Reorganization Act of 1977. Early milestones involved coordination with entities including the Public Health Service and the National Advisory Council on Health. During the 1980s and 1990s the office played roles in federal responses to crises involving agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and interactions with leaders like Margaret Heckler and Louis Sullivan. In the 2000s and 2010s, the office engaged with initiatives led by Tommy G. Thompson, Michael Leavitt, and Kathleen Sebelius, adapting to challenges signaled by events such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic and the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Recent administrations linked the office with responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and collaborations with departments including the Department of Homeland Security and agencies like the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

The office is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Health, a Presidential appointee confirmed by the United States Senate, who coordinates with senior officials from entities such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Office of Minority Health. Subordinate divisions include professional advisory committees modeled after those advising the National Institutes of Health and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Leadership teams have included career civil servants and commissioned officers from the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and have worked with notable figures like Surgeon General of the United States, Jerome Adams, and public health leaders tied to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The office provides strategic public health guidance across federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; it also oversees coordination for programs under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and initiatives associated with the National Vaccine Program Office. Core functions include policy development, population health promotion, health equity efforts connected to the Office of Minority Health, and workforce management involving the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The office advises Secretaries from administrations like Barack Obama and Donald Trump on matters ranging from pandemic preparedness to chronic disease prevention and liaises with interagency actors such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Education on cross-sector strategies.

Programs administered or coordinated by the office intersect with federal initiatives such as the Healthy People series, the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, and federal campaigns linked to the Million Hearts initiative and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. It sponsors advisory committees and task forces similar to those convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and partners with philanthropic organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on targeted projects. The office has convened responses to threats addressed by entities like the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and supported public health workforce development through collaborations with academic institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Columbia University.

Funding for the office is allocated through appropriations approved by the United States Congress and administered within the Department of Health and Human Services budget. Major budget lines intersect with programs funded via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreements, grant mechanisms overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and emergency supplemental appropriations enacted after events like the September 11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. Oversight involves committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations and the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and financial audits sometimes reference standards established by the Government Accountability Office.

The office maintains formal and informal partnerships with federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security for biodefense and response coordination. It engages with international partners like the World Health Organization, multilateral initiatives such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and bilateral programs exemplified by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The office collaborates with state and local authorities represented by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the National Association of County and City Health Officials, as well as non-governmental organizations including the American Red Cross and academic consortia such as the Association of American Medical Colleges.