Hhs-secretary-swearing-in-oconnell-as-aspr

Dawn Myers O'Connell is an American attorney and health advisor who had served as the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Preparedness and Response.

Education

O'Connell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Tulane University School of Law The Tulane University School of Law is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. Campus The law schoo ...

."President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Department of Health and Human Services", White House, March 19, 2021

Career

O'Connell served as senior counselor to then-Secretary

Sylvia Mathews Burwell Sylvia Mary Burwell (; born June 24, 1965) is an American government and non-profit executive who is president of the Harvard Board of Overseers and was the 15th president of American University from 2017 to 2024. Burwell was the first woman t ...

during the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

, advising her on high-priority global health and humanitarian issues, infectious diseases, unaccompanied children, and refugees. In 2017, O'Connell joined the

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a foundation that takes donations from public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations, to finance independent research projects to develop vaccines against emerging ...

(CEPI), where she served as director of its U.S. office. As the director, she was responsible for managing the broad spectrum of CEPI's U.S. and North American interests including its relationships with U.S. and North American-based stakeholders, government entities, and industry partners. She also served as the executive director for CEPI's Joint Coordination Group, a roundtable of institutional partners who all have a vested interest in the successful development and deployment of epidemic vaccines. Since February 16, 2021, she has served as the senior counselor to the

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, where she coordinates the Department-wide response to the pandemic.

Biden administration

On March 19, 2021, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

nominated O'Connell to be the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Preparedness and Response. Hearings were held on the nomination by the Senate HELP Committee on June 8, 2021. On June 16, 2021, the nomination was reported favorably out of committee. On June 24, 2021, O'Connell was confirmed in the Senate by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. She was sworn in on June 28, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnell, Dawn Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Biden administration personnel Obama administration personnel Tulane University Law School alumni United States Department of Health and Human Services officials Vanderbilt University alumni