Amy Leigh Acton (née Stearns; ) is an American
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and public-health researcher who served as the director of the
Ohio Department of Health
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for coordinating activities for child and family health services, children with medical handicaps, early intervention services, nutrition ...
from 2019–2020. She played a leading role in Ohio's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Early life and education
Acton was born Amy Stearns and raised on the north side of
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...
, living "in 18 different places in a 12-year period, including in a tent when she was homeless."
She described in a 2020 interview with Youngstown's
WKBN having random neighbors give her and her brother breakfast "because they knew we were hungry" and also "people looking the other way, not wanting their kids to play with me because we were dirty and smelly."
She described in a 2019 interview being neglected and abused while she lived with her mother following her parents' divorce.
By 7th grade she was living with her father in a more stable environment, and at
Liberty High School was a member of the
National Honor Society and
Homecoming queen
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
.
She attended
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges a ...
and earned a medical degree from
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) is a public medical school in Rootstown, Ohio. It specializes in graduate education in medicine and pharmacy but also has a College of Graduate Studies.
Its medical school has partnerships with four p ...
in 1990,
working to pay her way through college.
She completed her residency in pediatrics and preventive medicine. She earned a master's in public health from
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
.
She completed her residencies at
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...
and at
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Nationwide Children's Hospital (formerly Columbus Children's Hospital) is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care teaching hospital located in the Southern Orchards neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The hospital has 673 pediatric beds and is affil ...
.
Career
Acton taught at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
as an associate professor of public health.
She worked at the
Columbus Foundation as a grants manager.
She was director of Project LOVE (Love Our kids, Vaccinate Early).
In 2008, while known as Amy Beech, she served as a volunteer for
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
's presidential campaign by creating an email group on my.BarackObama.com called "Bexley, Yes We Can!" and publicized campaign events using Facebook.
In February 2019, Ohio governor
Mike DeWine made her his final cabinet pick as director of the Department of Health.
The search process was lengthy, as DeWine had been determined to have the right person in charge in a crisis.
Acton was the first woman in the post.
The two previous incumbents were a lawyer and a marketing director; DeWine mentioned wanting to "rethink how we approach this department".
COVID-19 pandemic
In 2020, prior to and during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, Acton advised Governor Mike DeWine, who became the first U.S. governor to close schools and limit gatherings to no more than 100 people, despite the fact that Ohio, at the time, had only three confirmed cases. Ohio was also the first state to temporarily close down bars and restaurants, when Ohio had fewer than 40 confirmed cases.
Acton soon after estimated that Ohio's then 5 confirmed cases likely translated to 100,000 actual cases, making national news.
In mid-March, she predicted cases could peak in late April to mid-May.
On March 12, she said, "This will be the thing this generation remembers."
Ohio House Minority Leader
Emilia Sykes
Emilia Strong Sykes (born January 4, 1986) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district. She formerly represented the 34th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, which consists of portions ...
called her "the real MVP of Ohio's coronavirus response."
The ''
Dayton Daily News
The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...
'' called her "Ohio's trusted face during the pandemic."
Acton was an advocate of postponing the
2020 Ohio Democratic presidential primary
The 2020 Ohio Democratic presidential primary took place through April 28, 2020, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 presidential election. In-person voting, originally scheduled for March 17, 2020 (along with three differen ...
, which was slated for March 17, 2020. The day before the scheduled election, Governor DeWine declared it canceled, only for a judge to rule that he did not have the authority to do so. Acton then ordered polling places closed due a public health emergency.
It was later determined that the election would be conducted entirely by mail-in
absentee ballot for those who had not participated in
early voting
Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via postal voting, or in ...
.
In April 2020,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
called her "the Buckeye state's version of the straight-talking Dr.
Anthony Fauci".
On April 1, Governor DeWine was reported as "quick to defer to Dr. Acton for specific questions on the virus and its spread" during daily news briefings, "reminding Ohioans that the state's decisions are driven by science."
In May 2020, a group of 35 gyms sued the Ohio Department of Health, Acton, and the Lake County General Health District over coronavirus-related health restrictions, and Lake County Court of Common Pleas Judge Eugene Lucci issued a
preliminary injunction blocking the state from "imposing or enforcing penalties solely for non-compliance with the director's order" against gyms and fitness centers, "so long as they operate in compliance with all applicable safety regulations."
[Andrew Cass]
Ohio officials appealing grant of preliminary injunction in gym lawsuit
''The News-Herald'' (July 6, 2020). The state appealed the decision, but Acton had signed an order permitting gyms to reopen in the interim,
and a court of appeals later dismissed the case as moot.
[ The gym reopening was part of an effort announced by Governor DeWine's administration on May 14, 2020, to reopen various economic venues with the implementation of safety protocols, including ]physical distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...
, whenever possible, and use of face masks. Interestingly, at the time of gym reopening, it was not yet known that people with COVID-19 are contagious even before they develop symptoms.
Beginning in May 2020, protesters began showing up at Acton's home in Columbus and at press conferences. Acton was assigned a security detail. Criticism focused on her policies, but also included her politics and in at least one case, reference to her being a "Globalist," which the Anti-Defamation League of Cleveland referred to as an "antisemitic slur."
On May 20, 2020, the Ohio Senate unanimously voted against a proposal advanced by state House Republicans (and approved by the House on a nearly party-line vote
A party-line vote in a deliberative assembly (such as a constituent assembly, parliament, or legislature) is a vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way (usually in opposition to the other political ...
) that would have limited the power of DeWine and Acton by restricting Ohio Department of Health orders to 14 days and requiring any extensions to be approved by a state joint legislative committee.
After Republican state legislators in Ohio introduced bills intended to limit her emergency powers, she became worried about being asked to sign a health order that would violate her Hippocratic Oath. On June 11, 2020, she resigned from her position and became a chief health advisor for DeWine's administration. She was succeeded by Lance Himes as interim director. In early August 2020 she announced she had left her position as advisor to the administration.
After her resignation, she resumed working for the Columbus Foundation. On February 4, 2021, Acton stepped down from her position in the Columbus Foundation as she considered a run for the Senate in 2022 to succeed Rob Portman. However, Acton chose not to run in April 2021 while thanking Ohioans for an "outpouring of support".
In 2022, Acton was named as president and chief executive officer of RAPID 5, a nonprofit organization that is attempting to improve access to parks in Franklin County, part of the greater Columbus area.
Awards and honors
* 2021: COVID Courage Award, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–1963), the 35th president of the United States (1961–1963). It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighb ...
* 2022: Ohio Honoree, USA TODAY
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
's Women of the Year
Personal life
In 2010, Acton married Eric Acton, a middle-school teacher and track coach. The couple live in Bexley
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...
and have between them six children. She is Jewish.
She was previously married to Douglas Beech, with whom she had three children.
See also
* COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Ohio on March 9, 2020, when the state's first cases were reported. The first death from COVID-19 in Ohio was reported on March 19. Subsequently, records supported by further ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acton, Amy
Living people
1960s births
Year of birth missing (living people)
20th-century American physicians
21st-century American physicians
20th-century American women physicians
21st-century American women physicians
People from Greater Columbus, Ohio
People from Youngstown, Ohio
American women epidemiologists
American epidemiologists
20th-century American Jews
American public health doctors
Jewish physicians
Physicians from Ohio
Albert Einstein College of Medicine alumni
Northeast Ohio Medical University alumni
Ohio State University faculty
Ohio State University College of Public Health alumni
Youngstown State University alumni
COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio
American women academics
21st-century American Jews
Women public health doctors