Former PA Health Secretary Rachel Levine named among USA Today's Women of the Year

Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine has been named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year.

Dr. Levine spearheaded Pennsylvania’s response to COVID-19 after cases were first reported in the state in March of 2020.

She served as the Health Department’s Secretary from 2017 to 2021 before joining the Biden administration as the Assistant Health Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human services.

With the move, the 64-year-old became the first openly transgender four-star officer in the Uniformed Services and the first female four-star admiral.

During her time as the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Levine was both praised and criticized about her handling of the pandemic.

Some of the criticism she drew was related to her handling of the virus in nursing homes.

Levine was also often the subject of transphobic comments to which she handled with tact.

“Your actions perpetuate a spirit of intolerance and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals and specifically transgender individuals," Levine said last year before a scheduled press conference on the state’s nursing home testing. "I have no room in my heart for hatred and frankly I do not have time for intolerance."

USA Today says their Women of the Year program honors “strong and resilient women who have been champions of change across the country, leading and inspiring as they promote and fight for equity, and give others a place to seek help and find hope.”

“I’m endlessly proud of Dr. Levine and her work,” Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted Monday. “What a well-deserved honor.”

Also among the honorees are Vice President Kamala Harris, Simone Biles, Kizzmekia Corbett, Melinda Gates and others.

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