United States Secretary of Health and Human Services facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
Flag of the secretary
Seal of the department
Incumbent Dorothy Fink since January 20, 2025
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Style	Madam Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Member of	the United States Cabinet
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Washington, D.C.
Appointer	President of the United States with Senate advice and consent
Term length	At the President's Pleasure
Constituting instrument	Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953 67 Stat. 631 42 U.S.C. § 3501
Formation	April 11, 1953; 71 years ago (1953-04-11)
First holder	Oveta Culp Hobby
Succession	Twelfth
Deputy	United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
Salary	Executive Schedule, Level I

The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the President of the United States on all health matters. The Secretary is a member of the United States Cabinet. The office was formerly known as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 1980, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was renamed to Department of Health and Human Services, and its education functions and Rehabilitation Services Administration were transferred to the new United States Department of Education. Patricia Roberts Harris headed the department before and after it was renamed.

Nominations to the office of Secretary of HHS are referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the United States Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid, before confirmation is considered by the full United States Senate.

Secretary of Health and Human Services is a level I position in the Executive Schedule, thus earning a salary of US$246,400, as of January 2024.

Endocrinologist Dorothy Fink has served as the Acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services since January 20, 2025.

Duties

The flag of the secretary of health, education, and welfare, the predecessor to the current office.

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. The secretary 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.

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was reorganized into a Department of Education and a Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS).

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

List of secretaries

Parties

      Democratic (9)       Republican (15)       Independent (2)

Status       Denotes acting HHS Secretary

Health, education, and welfare

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
1		Hobby, Oveta CulpOveta Culp Hobby	Texas	April 11, 1953	July 31, 1955		Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
2		Folsom, Marion B.Marion B. Folsom	New York	August 2, 1955	July 31, 1958
3		Flemming, ArthurArthur Flemming	Ohio	August 1, 1958	January 19, 1961
4		Ribicoff, AbrahamAbraham Ribicoff	Connecticut	January 21, 1961	July 13, 1962		Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
5		Celebrezze, Anthony J.Anthony J. Celebrezze	Ohio	July 31, 1962	August 17, 1965
							Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
6		Gardner, John W.John W. Gardner	California	August 18, 1965	March 1, 1968
7		Cohen, Wilbur J.Wilbur J. Cohen	Michigan	May 16, 1968	January 20, 1969
8		Finch, RobertRobert Finch	California	January 21, 1969	June 23, 1970		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
9		Richardson, ElliotElliot Richardson	Massachusetts	June 24, 1970	January 29, 1973
10		Weinberger, CasparCaspar Weinberger	California	February 12, 1973	August 8, 1975
							Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
11		Mathews, F. DavidF. David Mathews	Alabama	August 8, 1975	January 20, 1977
12		Califano Jr., Joseph A.Joseph A. Califano Jr.	District of Columbia	January 25, 1977	August 3, 1979		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
13		Harris, Patricia RobertsPatricia Roberts Harris	District of Columbia	August 3, 1979	May 4, 1980

Health and human services

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
13		Harris, Patricia RobertsPatricia Roberts Harris	District of Columbia	May 4, 1980	January 20, 1981		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
14		Schweiker, RichardRichard Schweiker	Pennsylvania	January 22, 1981	February 3, 1983		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
15		Heckler, MargaretMargaret Heckler	Massachusetts	March 10, 1983	December 13, 1985
16		Bowen, OtisOtis Bowen	Indiana	December 13, 1985	March 1, 1989
17		Sullivan, Louis W.Louis W. Sullivan	Georgia	March 1, 1989	January 20, 1993		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
18		Shalala, DonnaDonna Shalala	Wisconsin	January 22, 1993	January 20, 2001		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
19		Thompson, TommyTommy Thompson	Wisconsin	February 2, 2001	January 26, 2005		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
20		Leavitt, MikeMike Leavitt	Utah	January 26, 2005	January 20, 2009
–		Johnson, Charles E.Charles E. Johnson	Utah	January 20, 2009	April 28, 2009		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
21		Sebelius, KathleenKathleen Sebelius	Kansas	April 28, 2009	June 9, 2014
22		Burwell, Sylvia MathewsSylvia Mathews Burwell	West Virginia	June 9, 2014	January 20, 2017
–		Cochran, NorrisNorris Cochran	Florida	January 20, 2017	February 10, 2017		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
23		Price, TomTom Price	Georgia	February 10, 2017	September 29, 2017
–		Wright, Don J.Don J. Wright	Virginia	September 29, 2017	October 10, 2017
–		Hargan, EricEric Hargan	Illinois	October 10, 2017	January 29, 2018
24		Azar, AlexAlex Azar	Indiana	January 29, 2018	January 20, 2021
–		Cochran, NorrisNorris Cochran	Florida	January 20, 2021	March 19, 2021		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
25		Becerra, XavierXavier Becerra	California	March 19, 2021	January 20, 2025
–		Fink, DorothyDorothy Fink		January 20, 2025	present		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)

Line of succession

The line of succession for the secretary of health and human services is as follows:

1. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.
2. General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services
3. Assistant Secretary for Administration
4. Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
5. Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
6. Commissioner of Food and Drugs
7. Director of the National Institutes of Health
8. Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
9. Other assistant secretaries (following in the order they took the oath of office)
   1. Assistant Secretary for Health
   2. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
   3. Assistant Secretary for Legislation
   4. Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
   5. Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources
   6. Assistant Secretary for Aging
10. Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11. Director, Region 4 (Atlanta, Georgia)

See also

In Spanish: Secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos para niños