Antonia Coello Novello, M.P.H., Dr. P.H.
Antonia Coello Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H., was nominated by
Governor George E. Pataki to be the 13th New York State Health Commissioner
on June 3, 1999. The nomination was confirmed by the New York State
Senate on June 15, 1999.
With the appointment, Dr. Novello heads one of the leading public
health agencies in the nation. She is responsible for a $30 billion
budget, the largest of any New York State agency and more than one-third
the total of the entire New York State budget. Dr. Novello also
heads an agency that includes four healthcare facilities (with a
fifth in the construction phase), two regional offices and field
offices, nine district offices, as well as the central office, located
in Albany.
Some of the major program responsibilities Dr. Novello takes on
include: Medicaid; Child Health Plus; Youth Tobacco Enforcement
and Prevention; regulation of nursing homes and home health agencies;
Managed Care, and implementation of the Spinal Cord Injury Trust
Fund. As the State Health Commissioner, Dr. Novello also serves
as the President of Health Research, Inc.
Some of the more general goals and objectives of the department
include promoting and sustaining the health status of all New Yorkers;
providing access to affordable healthcare to all New Yorkers; improving
the quality of healthcare through collaboration, oversight, and
surveillance of healthcare providers; enhancing the efficiency and
effectiveness of the department through reengineering of its programs,
policies, and internal operations; and working with the diverse
customers the agency serves.
Prior to being appointed as the New York State Health Commissioner,
Dr. Novello previously served as the 14th Surgeon General of the
U.S. Public Health Service and was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Day O’Connor on March 9, 1990. Her appointment marked
two firsts: Dr. Novello became the first woman and the first Hispanic
ever to hold this position. As Surgeon General, Dr. Novello advised
the public on health matters, such as smoking, AIDS, diet and nutrition,
environmental health hazards, and the importance of immunization
and disease prevention. She also directed the activities of the
6,100 members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
After her surgeon general tenureship, she served as United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) Special Representative for Health and Nutrition
(1993–1996), where she advised the executive director on issues
pertaining to women, children, and youth. In particular, Dr. Novello
provided leadership toward the global efforts to eliminate iodine
and vitamin A deficiency disorders, immunizing the world’s
children, and preventing smoking and substance abuse in youth.
Before becoming New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. Novello
was Visiting Professor of Health Policy and Management at the John
Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public health and Special
Director for Community Health Policy. In this capacity, Dr. Novello
provided advice and guidance in the development of appropriate research,
service, and educational programs relevant to improving the health
of poor communities, particularly inner-city and urban, disenfranchised
populations.
Dr. Novello was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. She graduated from
the University of Puerto Rico with a B.S. degree in 1965, and an
M.D. degree in 1970. Dr. Novello served her pediatric internship
and residency at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1970–1973),
where she was selected intern of the year (1970). She completed
her subspecialty training in pediatric nephrology also at the University
of Michigan (1974), and at Georgetown University (1975). Dr. Novello
was awarded a Master's in public health with a concentration in
health services administration from Johns Hopkins University in
1982. In the summer of 1987, she was selected to attend the Program
for Senior Managers in Government at the John F. Kennedy School
of Government at Harvard University. She is a member of Alpha Omega
Alpha, the national honorary medical society, has published extensively,
has received numerous awards and holds more than 30 honorary doctoral
degrees. In May 2000, Dr. Novello was awarded a Doctor of Public
Health from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Dr. Novello entered the U.S. Public Health Service(PHS) in 1978,
after working in the private practice of pediatrics and nephrology.
Until her appointment as Surgeon General, her entire PHS career
was spent at the National Institutes of Health, where she served
in various capacities, rising to Deputy Director of the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with responsibility
for the direction and administration of the extramural programs
and for the coordination of pediatric AIDS research. In addition,
she chaired the USPHS Work Group during the reorganization and revitalizing
of USPHS Commissioned Corps, chaired the HHS Task Force on Pediatric
HIV/AIDS, and cochaired the NIH Advisory Committee on Women’s
Health Issues.
While at NIH, Dr. Novello also gained experience on Capitol Hill
as she was detailed to the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
In her position as Legislative Fellow she made major contributions
to the drafting and enactment of the Organ Procurement Transplantation
Act of 1984 (P.L. 98–507), and was successful in drafting warning
labels concerning the health risks of cigarette smoking.
Dr. Novello, a board-certified pediatrician, is Clinical Professor
of Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and
the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She is
also Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics and Communicable Disease at
the University of Michigan and Adjunct Professor of International
Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Novello
is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of
the American Society of Nephrology, the American Society of Pediatric
Nephrology, the American Pediatrics Society, and the Society for
Pediatric Research.
Dr. Novello is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including
the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medallion and Medal;
the USPHS Distinguished Service Medal; the U.S. Army Legion of Merit;
the U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Medal; the U.S. Department of the
Navy Distinguished Public Service Award; the American Medical Association
Nathan B. Davis Award; the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Medal;
the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars Award and the University Alumni
Association’s Woodrow Wilson Award for Distinguished Government
Service; the Elizabeth Blackwell Award; the University of Michigan
Medical Center Alumni Award and Alumna Council Athena Award; the
Public Health Service Commissioned Officers' Association Health
Leader of the Year Award; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; the Elizabeth
Ann Seton Award; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award for Scientific
Excellence; The American Medical Women’s Association Leadership
Award; the National Council of La Raza President’s Award; the
National Council of Alcohol and Drug Dependency Golden Key Award;
the American Academy of Pediatrics Excellence in Public Service
Award; the Healthy American Fitness Leaders Award; the National
Women’s Hall of Fame; the Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities
Award of Excellence; the Hispanic Hero Award; the Miami Children’s
Hospital International Hall of Fame; and the Women at Work Science
Award.
Administrator, researcher, lecturer, and author, Dr. Antonia Coello
Novello is first and foremost a physician whose motto is "good
science and good sense."
Commencement 2003
Other 2003 Honorary Degree Recipients
Anne Batterson
Marsha Johnson Evans
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