David Shulkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Shulkin
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Official portrait, 2017
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| 9th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office February 14, 2017 – March 28, 2018 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Thomas G. Bowman |
| Preceded by | Bob McDonald |
| Succeeded by | Robert Wilkie |
| Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health | |
| In office July 6, 2015 – February 13, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Robert Petzel |
| Succeeded by | Poonam Alaigh (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Jonathon Shulkin
July 22, 1959 Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Merle Bari |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Hampshire College (BA) Drexel University (MD) |
David Jonathon Shulkin (born July 22, 1959) is an American doctor and former government leader. He is known for his work in healthcare. In 2017, Shulkin became the ninth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This means he was the main leader of the government department that helps military veterans. He served under President Donald Trump.
Before that, he was the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health from 2015 to 2017. President Barack Obama chose him for that role. On March 28, 2018, President Trump announced that Shulkin would leave his position. Robert Wilkie later took over as the new Secretary.
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Early Life and Education
David Shulkin was born in Highland Park, Illinois. His father was a psychiatrist in the U.S. Army. Both of his grandfathers fought in World War I. This connection to military service was important in his later career.
He went to Hampshire College and earned a bachelor's degree in 1982. He then studied medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. This school later joined with Drexel University. He became a medical doctor (MD) in 1986. After medical school, he continued his training at places like Yale School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh.
Career in Healthcare
Shulkin focused his career on how to manage healthcare systems better. He was known for supporting "patient-centered care." This means making sure that healthcare focuses on the patient's needs.
He held many important leadership jobs at hospitals. He was the President and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. He also led Morristown Medical Center. He was the first Chief Medical Officer at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. He also taught medicine at several universities.
Shulkin wrote many articles for medical journals. He also started a company called DoctorQuality. This company aimed to give people information about healthcare quality.
Serving Veterans
In 2015, David Shulkin started working for the government. President Barack Obama chose him to be the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health. In this job, he helped manage the healthcare system for veterans. This system is part of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
On January 11, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Shulkin. He wanted Shulkin to become the next United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The United States Senate voted to approve Shulkin on February 13, 2017. All 100 senators voted yes, which is very rare! He was the first person to hold this job who had not served in the military.
As Secretary, Shulkin was in charge of a huge government agency. The VA has over 350,000 employees and 1,700 facilities. He wanted the VA to focus on its main job: caring for wounded veterans. He also wanted to use private healthcare more for common procedures.
In April 2017, Shulkin made VA hospitals share information. They started posting quality data and wait times for everyone to see. He also wanted to offer free mental health care to veterans.
On March 28, 2018, President Trump announced that Shulkin was leaving his role. Robert Wilkie took over temporarily.
Discussions about VA Healthcare
After leaving his job, Shulkin talked about the future of VA healthcare. He explained that there were discussions about whether to keep VA healthcare mostly public or use more private companies. Shulkin believed that fully privatizing VA healthcare might not be best for veterans. He thought it could make care worse and be more about making money.
Many veterans and groups that support veterans also disagreed with full privatization. They wanted the VA to continue providing most of the care.
Personal Life
David Shulkin is married to Merle Bari, who is a dermatologist. They have two children, Daniel and Jennifer. His daughter, Jennifer, won a gold medal in squash at the 2009 Maccabiah Games. Shulkin is Jewish.
Books Written
- Shulkin, David J., M.D. (2008). Questions Patients Need to Ask: Getting the Best Healthcare.
- Shulkin, David J., M.D. (2019). It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans.
Awards and Honors
- Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute in Health Economics.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar.
- National Health Policy Fellow for the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging.
- Named one of the country's top healthcare leaders by Modern Healthcare.
- Named one of the Hundred Most Powerful in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare (2008).
See also
- List of Jewish United States Cabinet members
