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 health matters. The secretary is a member of the United States Cabinet. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the incumbent secretary of health and human services, having held the position since February 13, 2025.

The office was formerly known as the 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 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. The secretary of health and human services is a level I position in the Executive Schedule, thus earning a salary of US$250,600, as of January 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 (HHS).

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.PortraitNameState of residenceTook officeLeft officePresident(s)
1Oveta Culp HobbyTexasApril 11, 1953July 31, 1955Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
2Marion B. FolsomNew YorkAugust 2, 1955July 31, 1958
3Arthur FlemmingOhioAugust 1, 1958January 19, 1961
4Abraham RibicoffConnecticutJanuary 21, 1961July 13, 1962John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
5Anthony J. CelebrezzeOhioJuly 31, 1962August 17, 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
6John W. GardnerCaliforniaAugust 18, 1965March 1, 1968
7Wilbur J. CohenMichiganMay 16, 1968January 20, 1969
8Robert FinchCaliforniaJanuary 21, 1969June 23, 1970Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
9Elliot RichardsonMassachusettsJune 24, 1970January 29, 1973
10Caspar WeinbergerCaliforniaFebruary 12, 1973August 8, 1975
Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
11F. David MathewsAlabamaAugust 8, 1975January 20, 1977
12Joseph A. Califano Jr.District of ColumbiaJanuary 25, 1977August 3, 1979Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
13Patricia Roberts HarrisDistrict of ColumbiaAugust 3, 1979May 4, 1980

Health and Human Services

No.PortraitNameState of residenceTook officeLeft officePresident(s)
13Patricia Roberts HarrisDistrict of ColumbiaMay 4, 1980January 20, 1981Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
14Richard SchweikerPennsylvaniaJanuary 22, 1981February 3, 1983Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
15Margaret HecklerMassachusettsMarch 10, 1983December 13, 1985
16Otis BowenIndianaDecember 13, 1985March 1, 1989
17Louis W. SullivanGeorgiaMarch 1, 1989January 20, 1993George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
18Donna ShalalaWisconsinJanuary 22, 1993January 20, 2001Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
19Tommy ThompsonWisconsinFebruary 2, 2001January 26, 2005George W. Bush (2001–2009)
20Mike LeavittUtahJanuary 26, 2005January 20, 2009
–Charles E. JohnsonUtahJanuary 20, 2009April 28, 2009Barack Obama (2009–2017)
21Kathleen SebeliusKansasApril 28, 2009June 9, 2014
22Sylvia Mathews BurwellWest VirginiaJune 9, 2014January 20, 2017
–Norris CochranFloridaJanuary 20, 2017February 10, 2017Donald Trump (2017–2021)
23Tom PriceGeorgiaFebruary 10, 2017September 29, 2017
–Don J. WrightVirginiaSeptember 29, 2017October 10, 2017
–Eric HarganIllinoisOctober 10, 2017January 29, 2018
24Alex AzarIndianaJanuary 29, 2018January 20, 2021
–Norris CochranFloridaJanuary 20, 2021March 19, 2021Joe Biden (2021–2025)
25Xavier BecerraCaliforniaMarch 19, 2021January 20, 2025
–Dorothy FinkPennsylvaniaJanuary 20, 2025February 13, 2025Donald Trump (2025–present)
26Robert F. Kennedy Jr.CaliforniaFebruary 13, 2025Incumbent

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) Assistant Secretary for Health Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Assistant Secretary for Legislation Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources Assistant Secretary for Aging
  10. Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  11. Director, Region 4 (Atlanta, Georgia)

External links

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byLori Chavez-DeRemer as Secretary of LaborOrder of precedence of the United States as Secretary of Health and Human ServicesSucceeded byScott Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded bySecretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer12th in lineSucceeded bySecretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner