The deputy secretary of health and human services (formerly the under secretary of health, education, and welfare, 1953–1979, and the under secretary of health and human services, 1979–1990) is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The deputy secretary oversees all operations within the department, including overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, public health, medical research, food and drug safety, welfare, child and family services, disease prevention, Indian health, and mental health services. The deputy secretary was Jim O'Neill, from June 2025 to February 2026.
The deputy secretary is also the regulatory policy officer for the department, overseeing the development and approval of all HHS regulations and significant guidance. In addition, the deputy secretary leads a number of initiatives at the department, including implementing the president's management agenda, combating bio-terrorism, and public health emergency preparedness. He also represents the secretary of health and human services on the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The deputy secretary is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The deputy secretary is paid at level II of the Executive Schedule. The deputy secretary is assisted by a principal associate deputy secretary of health and human services, two associate deputy secretaries, and three staff assistants. The position of deputy secretary was originally held by an under secretary until the position was retitled in August 1990. The position of under secretary had been in existence since the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1953.
Health, Education, and Welfare
List of assistant secretaries #ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences1Jane Morrow SpauldingApril 1953January 1954Dwight D. EisenhowerSmith, Jessie Carney, "Notable Black American women, Book II" (1996), p. 611 "In April, 1953, when the Department of Health, Education and Welfare was established with Oveta Culp Hobby as its first secretary, Spaulding was appointed her assistant. ... After only nine months... Spaulding was reassigned. On January 21, 1954, HEW released to the press the entire text of Jane Spaulding's resignation along with the report that she has accepted a position with the War Claims Commission."Mjagki, Nina, "Portraits of African American life since 1865" (2003), p. 190 "More African Americans were appointed to high federal posts during the Eisenhower than by any other administration since that of Theodore Roosevelt". Roberta Church was reportedly considered for the position of "assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare"... "but that job went to Jane Morrow Spaulding, another prominent black Republican."
List of under secretaries
#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences1Nelson RockefellerJune 1953December 1954Dwight D. EisenhowerA common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. Under Secretary was a new office, outranking the position of Assistant. "Nelson A. Rockefeller June 11, 1953 – December 22, 1954".VacantDecember 1954September 1955A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy December 23, 1954 – September 11, 1955".2Herold Christian HuntSeptember 1955February 1957A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Herold C. Hunt September 12, 1955 – February 4, 1957".VacantFebruary 1957April 1957A common thread of Service, p. 43. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy February 5, 1957 – April 4, 1957".3John Alanson PerkinsApril 1957March 1958A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "John A.Perkins April 5, 1957 – March 6, 1958"."Journal of physical education and recreation", Vol. 28 (1957), p. 52. "John Alanson Perkins, who has been president of the University of Delaware since 1950, has been appointed to the position of Under Secretary".VacantMarch 7, 1958March 18, 1958A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy March 7, 1958 – March 18, 1958".4Bertha AdkinsMarch 1958January 1961A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Bertha S. Atkins March 19, 1958 – January 19, 1961".O'Dea Schenken, Suzanne, "From suffrage to the Senate: an encyclopedia of American women in Politics, Vol. II", p. 17. Contains a bio of Adkins. "Adkins, Bertha Sheppard (1906–1983). Undersecretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1958 to 1960. ... Served as director of the Republican Party's Women's Division from 1950 to 1953, when the division closed. Adkins then became assistant to the chair of the Republican National Committee, serving until 1960."5Ivan Arnold NestingenJanuary 1961May 1965John F. KennedyA common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Ivan A. Nestingen January 21, 1961 – May 31, 1965".Mossman, Jennifer, "Almanac of Famous People". Vol. 1", p. 1421. Contains a brief bio of Nestingen. "Nestingen, Ivan Arnold" (1921–1978) . He is listed as Mayor of Madison Wisconsin from 1956 to 1961, Under Secretary of HEW from 1961 to 1965.Bowling, Lawson, "Shapers of the Great Debate on the Great Society", p. 44. Covers Nestingen in a section covering the efforts to introduce Medicare and his working relationship with Wilbur J. Cohen. "Cohen's immediate superior and fellow Wisconsinite, HEW Undersecretary Ivan Nestingen, grew extremely frustrated with the congressional logjam and, disillusioned with Cohen's inside game, came to favor an outside public relations effort to create pressure on Congress, banking on the Medicare concept's general popularity. ... Nestingen eventually left government service in 1965 in a fashion rumored not to be voluntary".Lyndon B. Johnson6Wilbur J. CohenJune 1965May 1968A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Wilbur J. Cohen June 1, 1965 – May 16, 1968".VacantMay 1968July 1968A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy May 17, 1968 – July 14, 1968".7James H. McCrocklinJuly 1968January 1969A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "James H. McCrocklin July 15, 1968 – January 20, 1969".Time Magazine article, L.B.J. : Lengthening Shadows, originally published June 28, 1968. "When the President fills vacant posts, appointments have an odor of the payoff. James McCrocklin, new Under Secretary of HEW, is a former president of Southwest Texas State College, which boasts one really distinguished alumnus, named Johnson.""The inauguration of James Henry McCrocklin as fourth president of Southwest Texas State Teachers College" 1964). The title offers the full name of McCrocklin.VacantJanuary 1969March 1969Richard NixonA common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "Vacancy January 21, 1969 – March 5, 1969".8John VenemanMarch 1969January 1973A common thread of Service, p. 44. Lists holders of the position of Under Secretary. "John G. Veneman March 6, 1969 to present". The book was published in 1970Derthick, Martha, "Policymaking for social security" (1979), p. 68. "The Nixon administration of 1969–72 continued the practice of liberal appointees with Robert H. Finch (1969–1970) and Richardson (1970–1973) as secretaries and John G. Veneman (1969–1973) as under secretary".Kaplowitz, Craig Allan, "LULAC, Mexican Americans and National Policy" (2005), p. 147. "As John Veneman, undersecretary of HEW, told The Washington Post in January 1972, 'Whenever Spanish-speaking students' performance is shown to be markedly lower, a strong case can be made that they are not receiving an equal education.' Teaching children in a language that some understand and others do not was not 'equal', according to Veneman, and Spanish language use and low test scores together could prove the need for remedy."9Frank CarlucciJanuary 1973January 1975Gerald Ford10Marjorie LynchNovember 1975January 1977Gerald Ford11Hale ChampionJanuary 1977June 1979Jimmy Carter
Health and Human Services List of under secretaries
#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences12John A. SvahnMarch 1983September 1983Ronald Reagan13Charles D. Baker1984198514Don M. Newman1985198915Constance Horner1989August 1990George H. W. Bush
List of deputy secretaries
#ImageNameTook officeLeft officePresident served underReferences15Constance HornerAugust 19901991George H. W. Bush16Kevin Moley1991199317Walter Broadnax19931996Bill Clinton18Kevin Thurm1996200119Claude AllenMay 26, 2001January 22, 2005George W. Bush20Alex AzarJanuary 22, 2005February 4, 2007 –Eric Hargan(acting)February 4, 2007August 5, 200721Tevi TroyAugust 5, 2007January 20, 200922Bill CorrMay 6, 2009April 2015Barack Obama–Mary Wakefield(acting)April 2015January 20, 2017–Colleen Barros(acting)January 20, 2017October 6, 2017Donald Trump23Eric HarganOctober 6, 2017January 20, 202124Andrea PalmMay 12, 2021January 20, 2025Joe Biden25Jim O'NeillJune 9, 2025February 13, 2026Donald Trump
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