Antonia C. Novello, MD, MPH, DrPH

Commissioner of Health
State of New York

Antonia C. Novello has a long and illustrious career in public health.  From 1979 to 1990, Dr. Novello worked for the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health, where she served in various capacities, rising to Deputy Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.  In 1990, she was appointed by President George Bush as the U.S. Surgeon General, a position she held until 1993.

From 1993 to 1996, Dr. Novello served as the Special Representative for Health and Nutrition with UNICEF.  Immediately prior to joining the New York State Department of Health, she served as Visiting Professor and Special Director of Community Health Policies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.  In 1999, Dr. Novello was nominated by Governor George Pataki and confirmed as the thirteenth Commissioner of Health for the State of New York.

Dr. Novello is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medallion and Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal of the U.S. Public Health Service, the American Medical Association’s Nathan B. Davis Award, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame.