Acting Secretary of Health

Dr. Debra L. Bogen

“The health and wellbeing of Pennsylvanians is critical to our success as a Commonwealth, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with Governor Shapiro to serve the healthcare needs of people across Pennsylvania.”

Dr. Debra L. Bogen

Prior to joining the Commonwealth, Dr. Bogen was the Director of the Allegheny County Health Department, where she and her staff stayed on top of the pandemic and provided consistent, measured and common-sense information to the public while working closely with many stakeholders in the county.
Prior to that appointment, Dr. Bogen was a member of the Pittsburgh region medical and research community for more than two decades. She held a primary academic appointment as Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh, and secondary appointments in psychiatry and clinical and translational science. Dr. Bogen also served as the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Pediatrics at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She dedicated her career as a pediatrician to caring for children and families impacted by social inequities. Her clinical research focused on the impact of mental health and substance use on families.

Dr. Bogen earned her medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed both her pediatric residency and general academic pediatrics fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was one of the founders of the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank and served as the organization’s Volunteer Medical Director until assuming her role at the state.