2018 TAGGS Agencies
Department of Health & Human Services
Administration for
Children & Families
Lynn Johnson
Assistant Secretary
Mission: To foster health and well-being by providing federal leadership, partnership and resources for the compassionate and effective delivery of human services.
Organization: ACF is guided by the vision of “children, youth, families, individuals, and communities who are resilient, safe, healthy, and economically secure.” We seek to advance that vision by providing federal leadership, partnership, and resources for the compassionate and effective delivery of human services.
Administration for
Community Living
Lance Robertson
Administrator & Assistant Secretary
Mission: Maximize the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities across the lifespan, and their families and caregivers.
Organization: ACL works with states, tribes, community providers, universities, nonprofit organizations, businesses and families to help older adults and people with disabilities live in their homes and fully participate in their communities.
Agency for Healthcare
Research & Quality
Gopal Khanna
Director
Mission: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) mission is to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and to work within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and with other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used.
Organization: AHRQ awards discretionary grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to carry out research projects, demonstrations, evaluations, and dissemination activities. AHRQ’s research projects examine the availability, quality, and costs of healthcare services; ways to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical practice, including the prevention of disease; and other areas of health services research. The information helps health care decisionmakers, patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers make more informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services.
Assistant Secretary for
Planning & Evaluation
Brenda Destro
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Mission: The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) advises the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on policy development in health, disability, human services, data, and science, and provides advice and analysis on economic policy. ASPE leads special initiatives, coordinates the Department’s evaluation, research and demonstration activities, and manages cross-Department planning activities such as strategic planning, legislative planning, and review of regulations. Integral to this role, ASPE conducts research and evaluation studies, develops policy analyses, and estimates the cost and benefits of policy alternatives under consideration by the Department or Congress.
Organization: ASPE, within the Office of the Secretary, is organized into principal offices: Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, Office of Health Policy, Office of Human Services Policy/HHS’ Chief Economist, and Office of Science and Data Policy, as well as several smaller ones. Each of the major offices is headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary.
Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness & Response
Robert Kadlec, M.D.
Assistant Secretary
Mission: To lead the country in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the adverse health effects of emergencies and disasters by supporting our communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening our health and response systems, and enhancing national health security.
Organization: ASPR, as delegated by the Secretary, leads the federal public health and medical response to public health emergencies and incidents covered by the National Response and National Recovery Frameworks. ASPR serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary on all matters related to public health and medical emergency preparedness and response and leads a collaborative approach to the Department’s preparedness, response and recovery portfolio.
Centers For Disease Control
Robert R. Redfield, MD
Director
Mission: CDC works 24/7 keeping America safe from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and domestic. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease, and supports communities and citizens to do the same. CDC is the nation’s health protection agency — saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention.
Organization: CDC has six Center, Institute, and Offices (CIOs) which allows the agency to be more responsive and effective when dealing with public health concerns.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Seema Verma
Administrator
Mission: To ensure that the voices and needs of the populations we represent are present as the agency is developing, implementing, and evaluating its programs and policies.
Organization: CMS covers 140 million people through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace. But coverage isn’t our only goal. To achieve a high-quality health care system, we also aim for better care at lower costs and improved health.
Food & Drug Administration
Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
Commissioner
Mission: To protect the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that give off radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.
Organization: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a scientific regulatory agency that is responsible for protecting and advancing the public health in the United States: FDA’s responsibilities cover a wide range of regulatory activities. FDA decisions affect every American on a daily basis. Annually, consumers spend nearly $1.5 trillion, or more than 20 percent of all consumer expenditures, on FDA-regulated products.
Health Resources &
Services Administration
George Sigounas, MS, Ph.D.
Administrator
Mission: To improve health and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce and innovative programs.
Organization: Tens of millions of Americans get affordable health care and other help through HRSA’s 90-plus programs and more than 3,000 grantees.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care by strengthening the health care workforce, building healthy communities and achieving health equity. HRSA’s programs provide health care to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable.
Indian Health Service
RADM Michael D. Weahkee
Acting Director
Mission: To raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level.
Organization: The Indian Health Service (IHS) provides a comprehensive health services delivery system for American Indians and Alaska Natives with opportunity for maximum tribal involvement in developing and managing programs to meet their health needs. IHS serves a population of approximately 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
National Institutes of Health
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Mission: To seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life and reduce illness and disability.
Organization: National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research. Helping to lead the way toward important medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives, NIH cures for common and rare diseases. Comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers, NIH provides leadership and financial support to researchers in every state and throughout the world.
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Adm. Brett P. Giroir, M.D.
Acting Assistant Secretary
Mission: Mobilizing leadership in science and prevention for a healthier nation.
Organization: OASH oversees 12 core public health offices — including the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service Corps — as well as 10 regional health offices across the nation and 10 Presidential and Secretarial advisory committees.
Office of Global Affairs
Garrett Grigsby
Director
Mission: To promote the health of people of the world by advancing the Department of Health and Human Services’ global strategies and par
Organization: OGA, within the Office of the Secretary, represents the Department to other governments, other federal departments and agencies, international organizations, and the private sector on international and refugee health issues.
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Don Rucker, M.D.
National Coordinator
Mission: ONC is the principal Federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. The position of National Coordinator was created in 2004, through an Executive Order, and legislatively mandated in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009.
Organization: The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is at the forefront of the administration’s health IT efforts and is a resource to the entire health system to support the adoption of health information technology and the promotion of nationwide health information exchange to improve healthcare. ONC is organizationally located within the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
Elinore F. McCance-Katz, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Secretary
Mission: It is SAMHSA's mission to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
Organization: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.
Prevention, treatment, and recover support services for behavioral health are important parts of the health service systems for our communities. These services work to improve our health and minimize cost to individuals, families, businesses, and governments. However, people with mental and/or substance use disorders often do not get the treatment they need.