News Release

HHS Secretary Appoints Advisory Committee on Minority Health

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the appointment of eight members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Minority Health. The committee will advise the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority groups and on the development of goals and specific program activities for the department's Office of Minority Health.

"Our goal is to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes for all Americans," Secretary Leavitt said. "The expertise this group brings will go a long way toward helping us meet that goal."

The next meeting of the committee, on April 25-26, will include presentations on the status of racial and ethnic health disparities, research challenges and opportunities, improving service delivery to better address racial and ethnic disparities, and the role of prevention in improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. The committee will meet at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda, Md., on April 25th from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. and on April 26th from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Leo MacKay, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, ACS State Healthcare, Atlanta, Ga., has been appointed as Committee Chairperson.

Dr. MacKay is the chief operating officer (COO) of ACS State Healthcare in Atlanta. Prior to becoming COO for ACS State Healthcare, Dr. MacKay served as deputy secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system. As deputy secretary, he served as the COO of the nation's second largest cabinet department, responsible for a $60 billion dollar budget and 219,000 employees. Prior to joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. MacKay was vice president of Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. in Ft. Worth, Texas. He is a 1983 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he was awarded the Secretary of the Navy's Distinguished Midshipman Graduate Award. Dr. MacKay's military career included serving as military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1993-1995.

The other new Committee members are:

Joseph Kevin Villagomez, M.A., Counseling Psychologist, Department of Public Health, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Dr. Villagomez is a distinguished psychologist, serving over a decade in the Department of Public Health for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. He established the Substance Abuse Treatment Program and the Substance Abuse Prevention Program and was subsequently appointed in 1995 by the Governor to be the first director for the newly created Division of Mental Health and Social Services. As the director, he was responsible for developing the Transitional Living Center, which serves as a housing unit for long-term psychiatric patients.

Cheryl Killion, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Center for Minority Family Health, Hampton, Virginia

Dr. Killion's career spans 30 years in nursing and research. She is currently a research associate professor and director of Minority Family Health in the School of Nursing Program at Hampton University. Previously, Dr. Killion served as research assistant at Charles Drew Postgraduate Medical School.

Edna M. Berastain, M.B.A., Executive Director of Latinos/as, Contra SIDA, Hartford, Conn.

Ms. Berastain serves as executive director of Latinos/as Contra SIDA (LCS). LCS provides comprehensive services for at-risk individuals, particularly those disproportionately impacted within the Hispanic, African-American, and Caribbean populations. Prior to becoming executive director of LCS she served as assistant commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health. She also served as the director of the Connecticut Regional Office of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and the executive assistant to the Mayor of the City of Hartford.

Inam Ur Rahman, M.D., President and Founder of the Diabetic Clinic, Honolulu, Hawaii

Dr. Ur Rahman is the president and founder of the Diabetic Clinic, a unique diabetic clinic dedicated to prevention, early diagnosis, education and treatment of diabetes. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Rahman is the host of the radio program "Healers of the New Millennium" which is broadcast in Hawaii. He also hosts and produces the "Healers of the New Millennium" medical television series in Hawaii.

RADM Kermit C. Smith, D.O., M.P.H. (Ret), Former Chief Medical Officer, Indian Health Service (IHS), Tucson, Ariz.

Dr. Smith dedicated his career to improving the health of American Indians. Prior to his retirement from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, Rear Admiral Smith served in various positions within IHS. He has the distinguished honor of being selected as the first chief medical officer for IHS. Dr. Smith has also served as director of the Sacaton Diabetes Program, acting director for the Office of Health Programs/deputy chief medical officer, acting chief medical officer for IHS Headquarters East, and director and primary care physician at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. Dr. Smith is a member of the Assisniboine Tribe.

Adrienne Laverdure, M.D., Medical Director of Family Health, Peter Christensen Health Center, Lac Du Flambeau, Wis.

Dr. Laverdure has worked to improve the health of families in Wisconsin. She has vast experience in family health, occupational health, adult and pediatrics care and in managing extended care providers of physician assistants and nurse practitioners. During her career she has received a number of awards including, the Minority Health Leadership Award, Wisconsin 2003.

Valerie Romero-Leggott, M.D., Assistant Professor/Director of Cultural & Ethnic Programs, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.

Dr. Romero-Leggott has dedicated her career to advancing cultural competency within the health care profession. She takes pride in her responsibilities for mentoring underrepresented faculty, spearheading the development of a culturally competent curriculum in the School of Medicine, and serving as chair of the Diversity/Cultural Competence Task Force, Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum.