Joe Biden picks Rachel Levine, a transgender doctor, as assistant health secretary
- Rachel Levine would become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate
- Levine, 64, is a graduate of Harvard and Tulane Medical School
- She is a former Pennsylvania physician general
US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that he will nominate Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, reported The Washington Post.
Levine, a paediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, would become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate.
“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,” Biden said in a statement.
“She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts,” he added.
64-year-old Levine is a graduate of Harvard and Tulane Medical School. She also serves as Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine.
Levine has been at the forefront of handling the coronavirus pandemic in the state. She has been previously confirmed three times by the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania state senate to serve as secretary of health and the state’s physician general.
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