Today, following a bipartisan confirmation by the U.S. Senate, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra formally swore in Andrea Palm as Deputy Secretary. Palm previously served as the Secretary-designee of Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services and in several leadership roles at HHS during the Obama-Biden Administration.

“I want to congratulate Andrea Palm, a lifelong public servant, for her bipartisan confirmation to serve as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are elated to have her join the HHS team. As a veteran of the Obama-Biden Administration and as the former top health official in Wisconsin, Ms. Palm brings valuable experience and deep knowledge to this role. I have no doubt she will hit the ground running and be a crucial partner as we work tirelessly to tackle this pandemic, expand affordable health care, and build a healthier country for all Americans.”

“I want to thank President Biden, Secretary Becerra, and the United States Senate for their faith in me to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services,” said Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “Our country is facing big challenges right now – and it’s our responsibility to be tireless stewards of this agency that touches nearly every aspect of American life. My focus will be on improving the lives and livelihoods of the American people: tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, efficiently and equitably distributing vaccines, expanding access to affordable health care, addressing the epidemic of substance use disorders, and improving mental health care. Public service has been my life’s calling, and I’m eager to work arm-in-arm with Secretary Becerra and the Biden Administration to build back better than before.”

Photos of the swearing in can be found here. A biography of Palm can be found here.