Howard K. Koh is the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School as well as Faculty Co-Chair of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. He is also the inaugural Chair of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health Initiative on Health and Homelessness. Previously at Harvard School of Public Health (2003-2009), he was Associate Dean for Public Health Practice.
Dr. Koh advances leadership education and training at schools across Harvard University. As commissioner of public health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1997 to 2003, Dr. Koh led the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which included a wide range of health services, four hospitals, and a staff of more than 3,000 professionals. In this capacity, he emphasized the power of prevention and strengthened the state’s commitment to eliminating health disparities. From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Koh served as the 14th Assistant Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, after being nominated by President Barack Obama and being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He also led interdisciplinary implementation of Healthy People 2020 and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, as well as initiatives in a multitude of other areas.