HHS Public Affairs Office Leadership

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Jeffrey A. Nesbit
Email: Jeffrey A. Nesbit

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Samira Burns
Email: Samira.Burns@hhs.gov

Health Care Portfolio

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for Health Care
Sara Lonardo
Email: Sara.Lonardo@hhs.gov

Agencies: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Issues: Health Care, Health Equity, Medicaid, Medicare, Affordable Care Act, Marketplace, Open Enrollment/ Special Enrollment Period, Maternal Health, Drug Pricing, Pricing Transparency, Telehealth, Health Technology

Public Health Portfolio

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for Public Health
Heather Purcell
Email: Heather.Purcell@hhs.gov

Agencies: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs (OGA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH)

Issues: Biomedical Research, Public Health, Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices, Opioids, Vaccines, Infectious Diseases, Prevention, Tobacco, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Global Health, Risk Communication, COVID-19 response

Human Services Portfolio

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for Human Services
Rafael Benavides
Email: Rafael.Benavides@hhs.gov

Agencies: Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Community Living (ACL), Departmental Appeals Board (DAB), Indian Health Service (IHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)

Issues: Child Care, Head Start, Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Unaccompanied Children

Public Education Campaigns

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for Public Education
May Malik
Email: Maysoon.Malik@hhs.gov

Campaigns: Risk Less, Do More, We Can Do This, COVID-19 Public Education Campaign

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Division

Deputy Agency Chief FOIA Officer
William Holzerland
Email: William.Holzerland@hhs.gov

FOIA questions or concerns: HHS.ACFO@hhs.gov

Executive Officer

Christine Jones
Email: Christine.Jones@hhs.gov

Digital Communications Division 
Chief Digital Officer

Lindsey "L.A." Ross (Acting)
Email: Lindsey.Ross@hhs.gov

Broadcast Communications Division 
Director

Michael Wilker
Email: Michael.Wilker@hhs.gov