United States Secretary of Health and Human Services

The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet.

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In 1979, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education. The final Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare was Patricia Roberts Harris, who was also the first Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the President on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. It strives to administer the department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department. ^[1] After the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent anthrax attacks, the position has held a unique significance in the war on terrorism. Upon his departure, Tommy Thompson, the first secretary since the installation of the war on terrorism remarked, "I, for the life of me, cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do..." Scholars concur, arguing that an attack on food particularly milk could effect approximately 100,000 people. This leaves a large amount of responsibility to the position in the age of protecting humans in all ways possible. ^[2]

Chronological list

No.	Name	Took Office	Left Office	President served under
1	Patricia Roberts Harris	August 3 1979	January 20 1981	Jimmy Carter
2	Richard Schultz Schweiker	January 22 1981	February 3 1983	Ronald Reagan
3	Margaret Mary O'Shaughnessy Heckler	March 9 1983	December 13 1985	Ronald Reagan
4	Otis Ray Bowen	December 13 1985	January 20 1989	Ronald Reagan
5	Louis Wade Sullivan	March 1 1989	January 20 1993	George H. W. Bush
6	Donna Edna Shalala	January 22 1993	January 20 2001	Bill Clinton
7	Tommy George Thompson	February 2 2001	January 26 2005	George W. Bush
8	Michael Okerlund Leavitt	January 26 2005	Present	George W. Bush

References

General

United States Department of Health and Human Services Official Website
Department Of Health And Human Services Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed

Specific

^ The President's Cabinet. Ben's Guide (2007-02-01). Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
^ Cox, Simon. "US food supply 'vulnerable to attack'", BBC News, 2006-08-22. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
^ Patricia Roberts Harris Biography (1924-1985). A&E. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
^ Indiana Governor Otis R. Bowen (b. 1918). Indiana Historical Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.

v • d • e

Agencies under the United States Department of Health and Human Services

Secretary of Health and Human Services
Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families • Administration on Aging • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services • Food and Drug Administration • Health Resources and Services Administration • Indian Health Service • National Institutes of Health • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

v • d • e Leaders of the United States Federal Executive Departments
Agriculture • Commerce • Defense • Education • Energy • Health and Human Services • Homeland Security • Housing and Urban Development • Interior • Justice • Labor • State • Transportation • Treasury • Veterans Affairs Past department leaders: Commerce and Labor • Health, Education, and Welfare • Navy • Post Office • War