Dr. Howard Koh nominated for Assistant Secretary of Health

One more from the “smart store”, and it is good to see doctors finally being involved to a degree where they can be heard and make a difference. Hopefully both he and his brother, will be approved by the Senate and taxes are paid. BD

President Obama this evening nominated Dr. Howard Koh, an associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health and former Massachusetts public health commissioner, to a top health position in his administration.

As an assistant secretary for health, Koh would be responsible for establishing the nation's public health agenda if confirmed by the Senate. He is one of the few doctors with certifications from four specialty boards of medicine: internal medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and dermatology

He is the second member of his family to be nominated to a top Obama administration post this week: On Monday, his brother, Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh, was picked to be the State Department's legal adviser, a post that also requires Senate approval.

Howard Koh served as the public health commissioner in Massachusetts from 1997 to 2003, first being appointed by Governor William Weld and continuing in the office through the Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift administrations before resigning in the early days of the Mitt Romney administration.