Governor Ralph Northam recently announced additional appointments to his Administration
Secretariat of Health and Human Resources
Dr. M. Norman Oliver, State Health Commissioner, Virginia Department of Health
Dr. M. Norman Oliver has been appointed State Health Commissioner at the Virginia Department of Health. Dr. Oliver had served as Acting State Health Commissioner, and before that as Deputy Commissioner for Population Health. Before accepting the Deputy Commissioner position, Dr. Oliver was the Walter M. Seward Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. As Chair, Dr. Oliver helped lead the transformation of the Department’s clinic sites into patient-centered practices focused on population health.
Dr. Oliver has a long record of accomplishments in research and community health work, especially regarding health inequities. Most recently, his research interests have focused on the area of improving our understanding of the role of racial discrimination, bias, and prejudice in establishing and maintaining health inequities and the understanding of the interplay between race and socioeconomic position in these disparities.
Dr. Oliver attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University, where he also obtained his master’s degree in medical anthropology. He trained in family medicine at Case, and he then practiced broad-spectrum family medicine in rural Alaska for two years before joining the UVA Department of Family Medicine in 1998.
Secretariat of the Commonwealth Board Appointments
Board of Social Services
Lou Brown Ali* of Henrico, Council Chief of Staff, City of Richmond
Mona Malik* of Great Falls, President, Peaceful Families Project
Clyde Santana* of Norfolk, Assistant Professor, Norfolk State University
Kent Willis* of Mathews County; retired Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia
State Board of Health
James Edmondson* of McLean, Principal, E & G Group
Linda Hines* of Chesterfield, CEO, Virginia Premier Health Plan
Dr. Benita Miller* of Richmond, Periodontist, Drs. Kaugars and Miller, P.C.
The Honorable Faye Oliff Prichard* of Ashland, Member, Hanover County Board of Supervisors; Director of Writing, The Honors College, Virginia Commonwealth University
*denotes reappointment
- Submitted by Ofirah Yheskel, Office of the Governor
