Pa.'s Physician General to Deliver Fall Commencement Address

Rachel Levine, MD, Acting Secretary of Health and Physician General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will deliver Salus University’s 113^th commencement address on Monday, October 9, at 2 p.m., at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ Perelman Theater. Dr. Levine will also receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree at the ceremony.   

As Physician General, Dr. Levine has made significant strides combating the opioid epidemic and advocating on behalf of the LGBTQ population. She spearheaded the efforts to establish opioid prescribing guidelines and establish opioid prescribing education for medical students. She has also led an LGBTQ workgroup for the governor’s office, which has worked to create programs and processes that are fair and inclusive in healthcare, insurance and many other distinct areas. Recently, Dr. Levine was recognized as one of NBC’s Pride 30, a national list of 30 people who are both members of and making a difference in the lives of the LGBTQ community. 

“We are honored to have Dr. Levine deliver the keynote address at our Fall Commencement,” said Dr. Michael H. Mittelman, Salus University president. “She will offer our graduating students a unique perspective on healthcare, and help them understand the need for quality healthcare wherever they decide to serve.”

Dr. Levine graduated from Harvard College and the Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her training in Pediatrics at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City and completed a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine there. Following her fellowship, she practiced pediatrics and adolescent medicine in New York City and was on the faculty of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. She came to central Pennsylvania in 1993 as the director of Ambulatory Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Polyclinic Medical Center. In 1996, she joined the staff at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center as the director of Pediatric Ambulatory Services and Adolescent Medicine. Currently, she teaches at the Penn State College of Medicine on topics in adolescent medicine, eating disorders and transgender medicine.