Susan J. Blumenthal

Susan Jane Blumenthal (born June 29, 1952) is an American physician, global health expert, psychiatrist and public health advocate. With more than two decades of service as a senior government health leader in the administrations of four U.S. presidents, Blumenthal served as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health and director of the Office on Women's Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States and senior global health advisor within the HHS. She also was a research branch chief at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the chair of the NIH Health and Behavior Coordinating Committee. As of 2016, she has served as the senior medical and policy advisor at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, a senior fellow in health policy at New America, and a clinical professor at Tufts and Georgetown Schools of Medicine. Blumenthal is the Public Health Editor of the Huffington Post. She is married to United States Senator Ed Markey. Education Blumenthal is of Jewish heritage. Her mother was afflicted by cancer while Blumenthal was a child, strongly influencing her decision to become a medical professional. Blumenthal received her undergraduate degree from Reed College and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She completed a residency program at Stanford University School of Medicine and a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. Blumenthal attended medical school at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, completing clinical clerkships at Stanford University School of Medicine. Career For more than two decades, Blumenthal served as a national leader and senior government health official, researcher, and policymaker in the administrations of four U.S. presidents. She served as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, as well as rear admiral and senior science/e-health advisor in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). From 1993 to 1997, Blumenthal served as the first deputy assistant secretary for women's health and director of the Office on Women's Health. In this position, she oversaw a $4 billion budget of women's health research, services and education programs across HHS agencies including NIH, CDC and FDA and worked with other government departments and private sector organizations to improve women's health.