Behind the Scenes with the Secretary of Health: Leading a State to Lead a Nation
JudyAnn Bigby, M.D., served as Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from January 2007 through January 2013, where she was responsible for implementing many of the aspects of the 2006 Massachusetts health care reform law. Her efforts have made Massachusetts one of the nation’s leading states in forging efforts to reform health care delivery systems to build a strong primary care foundation, integrate service delivery, and reform payment based on outcomes including for the most vulnerable populations with disabilities, chronic mental illness, and the frail elderly. In 2011 President Obama appointed her as one of the inaugural members of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health of the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council. Dr. Bigby holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MD from Harvard Medical School. In spring 2013, she served as a Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
