ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Wes Moore today announced the appointment of Dr. Meena Seshamani as Maryland Department of Health Secretary. Pending Maryland Senate confirmation, Dr. Seshamani will assume the post as secretary on April 8.
Dr. Laura Herrera Scott will depart from her role as Maryland Department of Health Secretary with a remarkable record of achievement on Feb. 28. Maryland Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing Ryan B. Moran, Dr.P.H., will serve as acting secretary during the transition.
”Dr. Meena Seshamani is among the nation’s top health leaders – with an extraordinary career spanning expertise in public service, medical practice, economics, academia, and advocacy. She has made our nation's health care system fairer, more affordable, and more accessible to all -- including our most vulnerable, from families in poverty to communities with disabilities. We thank her for raising her hand to serve in this new role," said Gov. Moore. "Dr. Laura Herrera Scott has laid a strong foundation at the Maryland Department of Health over the last two years and is to be commended for her service. My friend and fellow veteran has done this administration and her state proud."
Dr. Herrera Scott transitions from her role as secretary of Maryland Department of Health with a meaningful record of service and accomplishment.
Under her leadership, the department ensured thousands of Marylanders remained eligible for health care coverage through the Medicaid program following the COVID-19 pandemic. She led negotiations that resulted in Maryland’s
historic, first-in-the-nation entry into the AHEAD model, which will not only improve population health but also lower health care costs for Marylanders. She implemented programs to address infectious and chronic disease threats across the state. She also assembled a dedicated team to strengthen the department’s operations to better serve some of the state’s most vulnerable populations.
Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., is an accomplished strategic leader with a deep understanding of health care policy and operations and a heart-felt commitment to outstanding patient care. She most recently led the Medicare program and was deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she stood up the historic Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program and implemented initiatives to improve Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. She was also instrumental in transforming Medicare to provide more holistic care and enhanced support for individuals with disabilities—including first-ever payments for community health services, care navigation, training for family caregivers, and bundled payments for primary care.
Prior to joining the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Seshamani was vice president of clinical care transformation at MedStar Health, where she conceptualized, designed and implemented population health initiatives. While serving with MedStar, Dr. Seshamani collaborated to advise the Maryland National Guard and Maryland Department of Health on the state’s COVID-19 response. She also served on the
Total Cost of Care and care transformation steering committees for the
Maryland All-Payer Model.
Prior to her role at MedStar, Dr. Seshamani served as director of the Office of Health Reform in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She set policy priorities, led regulatory development, and oversaw programs around insurance coverage, prevention and public health, and delivery system reform—all in service of increasing access to health care coverage for millions of Americans.
Dr. Seshamani is a Hopkins-trained surgeon and Oxford-trained Ph.D. economist, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She cared for patients as a head and neck surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and at Kaiser Permanente.
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