RADM Penelope Slade-Sawyer

Dear OASH Colleagues:

It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of RADM Penelope Slade-Sawyer to Senior Advisor for the Public Health Service in the Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

In her new capacity, RADM Slade-Sawyer will carry prevention across and beyond the Department by representing me and OASH in matters of public health and prevention policy and by serving as a liaison between my office and the Office of the Surgeon General and other uniformed services.

In her 18 years with the Corps, RADM Slade-Sawyer has performed in several capacities. She began her career as a clinician and program chief, and then transitioned from the clinical arena into policy development in 2001 when she was tapped to serve as public health advisor in the (then named) Office of Public Health and Science. In 2004, she was named HHS deputy assistant secretary and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). RADM Slade-Sawyer also twice served as interim director of the (now named) President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

While at ODPHP, RADM Slade-Sawyer coordinated several key initiatives for HHS: Healthy People 2010 and 2020; the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (published jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture every five years); and the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. She also oversaw the introduction of the first National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy and spearheaded the reinvention of the National Health Information Center’s healthfinder.gov website, transforming what was once a health information portal into a website that allows users to get online, personalized, prevention-oriented guidance.

It is RADM Slade-Sawyer’s extensive experience in these and other areas that make her a unique fit for this new position. Her deep knowledge of and passion for prevention issues, especially as related to the “Healthy People” initiative, will be invaluable as we move forward to protect and promote the health of every American.

Please join me in welcoming RADM Slade-Sawyer to her new post.

Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Secretary for Health