United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services


The Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Deputy Secretary oversees all operations within the Department, including overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, public health, medical research, food and drug safety, welfare, child and family services, disease prevention, Indian health, and mental health services. The incumbent Deputy Secretary is Eric Hargan.
The Deputy Secretary is also the Regulatory Policy Officer for the Department, overseeing the development and approval of all HHS regulations and significant guidance. In addition, the Deputy Secretary leads a number of initiatives at the Department, including implementing the President's Management Agenda, combating bio-terrorism, and public health emergency preparedness. He also represents the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The Deputy Secretary is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Deputy Secretary is paid at level II of the Executive Schedule, meaning he or she receives a basic annual salary of $162,000. The Deputy Secretary is assisted by a Principal Associate Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, two Associate Deputy Secretaries, and three Staff Assistants. The position of Deputy Secretary was originally held by an Under Secretary until the position was retitled in August 1990. The position of Under Secretary had been in existence since the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1953.

List

Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare

Under Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare

NameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
Nelson Aldrich RockefellerJune 1953December 1954Dwight D. Eisenhower
VacantDecember 1954September 1955Dwight D. Eisenhower
Herold Christian HuntSeptember 1955February 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
VacantFebruary 1957April 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
John Alanson PerkinsApril 1957March 1958Dwight D. Eisenhower
VacantMarch 7, 1958March 18, 1958Dwight D. Eisenhower
Bertha Sheppard AdkinsMarch 1958January 1961Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ivan Arnold NestingenJanuary 1961May 1965John F. Kennedy
Ivan Arnold NestingenJanuary 1961May 1965Lyndon B. Johnson
Wilbur Joseph CohenJune 1965May 1968Lyndon B. Johnson
VacantMay 1968July 1968Lyndon B. Johnson
James H. McCrocklinJuly 1968January 1969Lyndon B. Johnson
VacantJanuary 1969March 1969Richard Nixon
John G. VenemanMarch 1969January 1973Richard Nixon
Frank Charles Carlucci IIIFebruary 1973December 1974Richard Nixon
Frank Charles Carlucci IIIFebruary 1973December 1974Gerald Ford

Under Secretaries of Health and Human Services

NameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
John A. SvahnMarch 1983September 1983Ronald Reagan
Charles D. Baker19841985Ronald Reagan
Don M. Newman19851989Ronald Reagan
Constance Horner1989August 1990George H.W. Bush

Deputy Secretaries of Health and Human Services

NameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences
Constance HornerAugust 19901991George H.W. Bush
Kevin Moley19911993George H.W. Bush
Walter Broadnax19931996Bill Clinton
Kevin Thurm19962001Bill Clinton
Claude A. Allen2001June 2005George W. Bush
Alex M. Azar IIJune 20052007George W. Bush
Eric Hargan 20072007George W. Bush
Tevi Troy20072009George W. Bush
Bill Corr2009April 2015Barack Obama
Mary Katherine Wakefield April 2015January 20, 2017Barack Obama
Colleen Barros January 20, 2017October 6, 2017Donald Trump
Eric HarganOctober 6, 2017IncumbentDonald Trump