Joxel García

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Joxel García

Admiral Joxel García, USPHS Assistant Secretary for Health
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Years of service	2008 - Present
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Assistant Secretary for Health United States Public Health Service
Awards	Public Health Service Regular Corps Ribbon

Admiral Joxel García, USPHS, MD, MBA, was confirmed by the Senate on March 14, 2008 as the 13^th Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

As the ASH, Admiral García serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services’s primary advisor on matters involving the nation’s public health and science. He also oversees the U.S. Public Health Service and its Commissioned Corps for the Secretary. As Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral García’s responsibilities include disease prevention, health promotion, public health preparedness, women’s and minority health, the reduction of health disparities, fight against HIV/AIDS, pandemic influenza planning and vaccine preventable disease.

Dr. García is a seasoned public health professional with experience in health care delivery, bioterrorism preparedness, health policy and international health affairs. Prior to becoming the ASH, Dr. García served as the Senior Vice President and Senior Medical Advisor for MAXIMUS Federal Services Inc. While with MAXIMUS, Dr. García oversaw the work of the MAXIMUS Center for Global Health and was the principal architect of the strategic partnership plan for the Western Hemisphere.

Prior to that, Dr. García was Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office Western Hemisphere for the World Health Organization. As Deputy Director, Dr. García was responsible for setting the general direction and strategy of the organization alongside the director and for providing leadership and advice on all policy decisions. He was also responsible for maintaining effective relations between the organization and the governments of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Dr. García also led several important areas of the organization’s work including the emergency preparedness and disaster relief program.

Dr. García is a native of Hatillo, Puerto Rico and a resident of Connecticut. He served as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health from 1999-2003. During that time, he improved bioterrorism preparedness, launched the national smallpox preparation and vaccination plan, and led Connecticut’s response to the anthrax attack. He also created an urban health initiative to prevent disease, increase health literacy and improve economic conditions.

Dr. García is a trained obstetrician and gynecologist who once served as the Assistant Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT.

He completed his pre-medical studies at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Mayaguez campus. He holds a medical degree from the Ponce School of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hartford.

Dr. García has served on numerous national boards, including the National Advisory Committee on Violence against Women, National Dialogue on Cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and as the president-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Dr. García sees his role as Assistant Secretary for Health as an opportunity to enhance the Secretary's efforts to further the mission of HHS and the health of the nation by building, strengthening, and leveraging relationships across the public health community and the US Public Health Service while also improving healthcare for all Americans.

This article contains information from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and is in the public domain.