Dorothy Fink
Dorothy Fink | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Xavier Becerra |
| Personal details | |
| Education | Georgetown University (BS, MD) |
Dorothy Alanna Fink is an American endocrinologist and government official who has served as the acting United States secretary of health and human services since January 20, 2025. She is also the director of the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Biography
Fink is from Johnstown, Pennsylvania.[1] She attended Georgetown University where she focused on health studies.[2] She received several awards as a student at Georgetown, including one for outstanding undergraduate research in chemistry, and she was also a USA Today Academic All-American.[1][3]
Fink received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She completed her combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She then completed a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. During her fellowship, Fink was selected as a Women's Health Scholar and worked at the Center for Menopause, Hormonal Disorders and Women's Health. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics, including thromboembolic disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.[2]
Fink is board certified in endocrinology, internal medicine, and pediatrics, and is recognized as a physician leader on topics such as diabetes, nutrition, and bone health. Previously, her clinical practice focused on women from adolescence through menopause and beyond. She is a nationally certified menopause practitioner and an expert on estrogen. She has presented at several national meetings and has practiced at the Hospital for Special Surgery and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell University.[2]
In 2018, Fink was appointed by President Donald Trump as the deputy assistant secretary for women's health.[4] She also became the director of the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.[2]
Role as Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
On January 20, 2025, Fink was named by President Trump as the acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, as his nominee for the position, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had not yet been approved by the Senate.[5] She immediately issued a January 21 memo titled "Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Publication Communications" forbidding US health agency personnel from
- Sending any document intended for publication to the Office of the Federal Register until it has been reviewed and approved by a Presidential appointee
- Publicly issuing any document or communication until it has been approved by a Presidential appointee, and
- Participating in public speaking engagements until the event and material have been reviewed and approve by a Presidential appointee.
through February 1, 2025. The memo also required that health agency personnel coordinate with Presidential appointees prior to issuing official correspondence to public officials, including that containing interpretations or statements of Department regulations or policy.
The effect of the action was to bring the work of HHS agencies (most importantly the CDC, NIH, and FDA) to a virtual halt.[6]
References
- ^ a b Murphy, Caryle (May 17, 2003). "First Lady Says Focus on Service". The Washington Post – via archive.ph.
- ^ a b c d "Dorothy Fink, M.D." WomensHealth.gov.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Past Award Winners | Department of Chemistry". Georgetown University.
- ^ Diamond, Dan (January 20, 2025). "Trump team taps Dorothy Fink to serve as interim HHS secretary". The Washington Post – via archive.ph.
- ^ Lopez, Ian (January 20, 2025). "Trump Chooses Women's Health Leader for Acting HHS Secretary". Bloomberg Law.
- ^ "Trump hits NIH with 'devastating' freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring". www.science.org. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
