January 19, 2021 at 9:14 am EST | by Chris Johnson
Rachel Levine tapped to become first out transgender Senate-confirmed official
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health
Rachel Levine has been nominated to become assistant secretary of health. (File photo courtesy of the Office of Governor Tom Wolf)
Rachel Levine, who as Pennsylvania secretary of health guided her state through the coronavirus pandemic, has been tapped to become assistant secretary for health under the Biden administration, setting her up to become the first openly transgender U.S. Senate-confirmed federal official.
The Biden transition team on Tuesday, the day before Joe Biden’s inauguration as president, announced in a statement Levine was chosen for the senior health role, which is the No. 3 leadership position at the Department of Health & Human Services.