State health secretary to step down
After less than four months in the role, the state’s top health official, Department of Health Acting Secretary Keara Klinepeter, is resigning, the Wolf Administration announced Monday.
Gov. Tom Wolf named Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson as the new acting secretary. She will assume the role after Klinepeter's last day Friday.
“Keara has been an asset to the Department of Health and the Wolf administration throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing necessary leadership and guidance to prepare for the endemic phase of the pandemic,” Wolf said in a statement.
Prior to acting secretary, Klinepeter served as executive deputy secretary for the Department of Health and as special adviser to the Secretary of Health. She also served as director of the department’s Rural Health Innovation.
Klinepeter replaced previous Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam when Beam resigned at the end of 2021.
In a statement, Klinepeter thanked Wolf, the Wolf administration and Department of Health employees.
“Working alongside the Department of Health’s devoted staff during a global once-in-a-lifetime pandemic has been an absolute honor,” she said. “I am proud of the work we have accomplished to better the lives of all Pennsylvanians.”
Johnson was nominated as Pennsylvania’s physician general in March 2021. Before that, she was chief medical officer at Meadville Medical Center.
“Thank you to Gov. Wolf and Acting Secretary Klinepeter for their steadfast leadership, especially during this trying time for all Pennsylvanians,” Johnson said. “The pandemic has changed many aspects of public health here in Pennsylvania and nationwide. I am honored to the lead the department during this transformative time in public health and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the tremendous employees at the Department of Health and ensuring our health remains a top priority throughout the commonwealth.”
