OASH Leadership
Leith J. States, MD MPH MBA FACPM
Leith J. States, MD MPH MBA FACPM
Acting Assistant Secretary for Health
Chief Medical Officer
Deputy Director Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH)
Dr. States serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, where he manages the development of HHS-wide public policy recommendations and oversees the Department’s key public health offices and programs 10 regional health offices across the nation, and the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with the goal of leading Americans to healthier lives.
Dr. States also serves as the Deputy Director of the Office of Science and Medicine and Chief Medical Officer to the Assistant Secretary for Health, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). Dr. States leads a diverse portfolio addressing critical and emerging areas of public health interest, including behavioral health, mental health, substance use disorder, and other emerging public health threats. He has been a leader within HHS around efforts to reconsider scheduling considerations regarding cannabis and has worked closely across HHS Divisions to address potential therapeutic roles for psychedelics and entactogens.
Prior to joining HHS, he spent nine years on active duty as a Navy Medical Officer serving in roles including Battalion Surgeon of a Marine infantry battalion, Public Health Emergency Officer for Navy Medicine West, and Officer in Charge of a Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit. A native of Long Beach, California, States received his MD from the UCSD School of Medicine, completed residency training and an MPH at Loma Linda University, and earned an MBA from the George Washington University. He is board certified in preventive medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine.