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Dr. Rachel Levine, who has helped to lead Pennsylvania through an opioid crisis and now the COVID-19 pandemic, was picked Tuesday by President-elect Joe Biden to be his assistant secretary of health, putting her on track to be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. ... Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a statement described Levine as "a remarkable public servant with the knowledge and experience to help us contain this pandemic, and protect and improve the health and well-being of the American people." (Woodall, 1/19)

“Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” Biden said in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.” A graduate of Harvard and of Tulane Medical School, Levine is president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. She’s written in the past on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine. (Weissert, 1/19)

In an interview with NPR last month, Levine said the federal government must help states conduct effective vaccine programs to clamp down on the rapid spread of the coronavirus. She also said that despite the promise of COVID-19 vaccines, they do not offer a "quick fix." "It will be essential for the federal government to provide more funding to the states, territories and cities that will be tasked with administering the vaccine," Levine said. She added later, "I think that it really shows that we all have to work together and stand united to stop the spread of this virus." (Chappell, 1/19)