Agency Name: | Pennsylvania Department of Health |
Formed: | April 27, 1905 |
Jurisdiction: | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
Headquarters: | 8th Floor West, Health and Welfare Building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Chief1 Name: | Dr. Debra Bogen |
Chief1 Position: | Acting Secretary of Health |
Website: | http://www.health.pa.gov |
Pennsylvania Department of Health is a cabinet-level agency in Pennsylvania. It was established in 1905 and later modified by the Administrative Code of 1929.[1] [2] In 1996, the requirement for the Secretary to be a physician was eliminated and the position of Physician General was created.[1] [3] The Department of Health utilizes community-based strategies to reduce serious illnesses, injuries, and deaths from major health threats, tobacco-related diseases, infectious diseases, and accidental injuries. Its mission has evolved to address the changing landscape of public health, providing programs and services aimed at promoting healthy behaviors, preventing injury and disease, and ensuring the safe delivery of quality healthcare for all Pennsylvania citizens.[1]
Name | Dates served | Appointed by | |
---|---|---|---|
Samuel Gibson Dixon | 1905–1918 | Samuel W. Pennypacker | |
Edward Martin | 1919–1923 | William Cameron Sproul | |
Charles H. Miner | 1923–1927 | ||
Theodore B. Appel | 1927–1935 | ||
Edith MacBride-Dexter | 1935–1939 | ||
John J. Shaw | 1939–1941 | ||
Alexander H. Stewart | 1942–1945 | ||
Harry W. West | 1945–1947 | Edward Martin | |
Norris W. Vaux | 1947–1951 | James H. Duff | |
Russell E. Teague | 1951–1955 | John S. Fine | |
Berwyn F. Mattison | 1955–1957 | George M. Leader | |
Charles L. Wilbar | 1957–1967 | ||
Thomas W. Georges | 1967 | Raymond P. Shafer | |
Ellsworth R. Browneller | 1970–1971 | ||
J. Finton Speller | 1971–1974 | Milton Shapp | |
Leonard Bachman | 1975–1979 | ||
Gordon K. MacLeod | 1979 | Dick Thornburgh | |
H. Arnold Muller | 1979–1987 | ||
N. Mark Richards | 1987–1991 | Bob Casey Sr. | |
Allan S. Noonan | 1992–1995 | ||
Peter J. Jannetta | 1995–1996 | Tom Ridge | |
Daniel F. Hoffman | 1996–1999 | ||
Robert S. Zimmerman | 1999–2003 | ||
Calvin B. Johnson | 2003–2008 | Ed Rendell | |
Everette James | 2008–2011 | ||
Eli Avila | 2011–2012 | Tom Corbett | |
Michael Wolf | 2012–2015 | ||
Karen Murphy | 2015-2017 | Tom Wolf | |
Rachel Levine | 2017–2021 | ||
Alison Beam (Acting)[4] | 2021-2022 | ||
Keara Klineparter (Acting) | 2022 | ||
Denise Johnson (Acting) | 2022-2023 | ||
Debra Bogen (Acting) | 2023-Present | Josh Shapiro |