Department of Health
Executive Leadership
Acting Secretary of Health
Dr. Debra L. Bogen
Dr. Debra L. Bogen is the Acting Secretary of Health. Prior to joining the Commonwealth, Dr. Bogen was the Director of the Allegheny County Health Department, where she and her staff stayed on top of the pandemic and provided consistent, measured and common-sense information to the public while working closely with many stakeholders in the county.
Prior to that appointment, Dr. Bogen was a member of the Pittsburgh region medical and research community for more than two decades. She held a primary academic appointment as Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh, and secondary appointments in psychiatry and clinical and translational science. Dr. Bogen also served as the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Pediatrics at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. She dedicated her career as a pediatrician to caring for children and families impacted by social inequities. Her clinical research focused on the impact of mental health and substance use on families.
Dr. Bogen earned her medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed both her pediatric residency and general academic pediatrics fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was one of the founders of the Mid-Atlantic Mothers' Milk Bank and served as the organization's Volunteer Medical Director until assuming her role at the state.
Executive Deputy Secretary
Kristen Rodack
Kristen Rodack is the Executive Deputy Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH). Prior to serving in this role Ms. Rodack was the Director of the Policy Office for DOH. Ms. Rodack joined the Policy Office in July 2019 as a William Penn Fellow focused primarily on maternal and child health policy and health equity. In 2020, she transitioned to an Executive Policy Specialist and later served as the Deputy Policy Director. Prior to coming to the department, Ms. Rodack worked to address health disparities and contributing social determinants of health at the local level through work with a county health department and in various non-profit organizations. She is a licensed social worker and received a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and psychology also from the University of Pittsburgh.
Deputy Secretary for Administration
Danielle Pierre
Danielle Pierre is the Deputy Secretary for Administration at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Ms. Pierre joined the Department of Health in 2015 and began her public health career as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Health Planning and Assessment, where she worked closely with the Bureaus of Epidemiology, Laboratories, Public Health Preparedness, Emergency Medical Services, and Community Health Systems.
Ms. Pierre was most recently a Special Advisor to the Secretary of Health, serving as the Director of Operations for the department, overseeing all internal operations including space management, Commonwealth fleet management, and other administrative functions.
Deputy Secretary of Health Resources and Services & Chief Business Analytics Officer
Muneeza Iqbal
Muneeza Iqbal is the Deputy Secretary of Health Resources and Services, as well as Chief Business Analytics Officer at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Ms. Iqbal oversees the Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries, the Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention, the Health Research Office, the Primary Care Office, and the data modernization initiative. Prior to serving in this role, she was the executive advisor for Health Resources and Services, and played an instrumental role in getting the department's data modernization initiative off the ground.
Ms. Iqbal has a background in public health, healthcare policy, and journalism. Previously, she worked as a consultant with Deloitte, with a focus on improving the structure and policy of the commonwealth's non-emergency medical transportation program. Prior to that, she created a public health curriculum for medical students and raised awareness on racial biases and inequities in medical education and the healthcare industry. Her previous work in global health sparked an interest in tackling barriers to healthcare access. Ms. Iqbal has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Journalism from New York University, and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University.
Deputy Secretary, Health Preparedness and Community Protection
Dr. Wendy Braund
Dr. Wendy E. Braund is the Deputy Secretary of Health Preparedness and Community Protection (HPCP) at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Previously she served as the COVID-19 Response Director and will continue to lead that work within HPCP. Before joining the Department, Dr. Braund was the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice, Associate Dean for Practice, and a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Before her time in academia, she served as the Wyoming State Health Officer and Public Health Division Administrator for the Wyoming Department of Health. Before working at the state level, Dr. Braund was employed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, first in the Office of the Assistant Secretary, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and then at the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions.
Dr. Braund’s degrees include a BA from Duke University, MSEd from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and MD from the Penn State College of Medicine. She is a 2007 graduate of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Preventive Medicine Residency Program and is board certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine.
Deputy Secretary, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Cindy Findley
Cindy Findley is the Deputy Secretary, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Ms. Findley has been with the Pennsylvania Department of Health since 2000, and began her public health career as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Health Planning and Assessment where she was involved with the Bureaus of Community Health Systems, Health Planning, Laboratory, Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Medical Services. In this role, she worked closely with program staff and helped determine their policy needs and assisted with various procedures.
Ms. Findley then became a program administrator with the Special Kids Network in the Bureau of Family Health. From there, she was promoted to the program manager in the Division of Immunizations Vaccines for Children program, and then to the Division Director for Immunizations.
Ms. Findley has served as the Bureau Director of Communicable Diseases, where she oversaw the Divisions of Immunizations, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Tuberculosis and HIV. Ms. Findley also served as the Acting Bureau Director for Health Promotion and Risk Reduction including services for Nutrition and Physical Activity, Cancer Prevention and Control, Tobacco Prevention and Violence Prevention, as well as the acting Bureau Director of Women’s Infants and Children.
Ms. Findley has over 20 years of Social Work experience in the fields of long-term care and acute care hospital settings. She received her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and her Master's degree in Social Work from Temple University of Pennsylvania.
Deputy Secretary, Quality Assurance
Jeanne Parisi
Jeanne Parisi is the Deputy Secretary for Quality Assurance for the Department of Health. Ms. Parisi recently served as the Department of Human Services (DHS) Bureau Director for Human Services Licensing, overseeing licensure of Personal Care Homes and Assisted Living Facilities. Prior to this, she served as DHS Division Director for Office of Long-Term Living focusing on home and community based services and managed the enrollment process for transitioning participants to managed long term services and supports in Community HealthChoices. She began her career supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities in community based services in New York and received her Master's in Public Administration from Baruch College, City University of New York.
Chief Counsel
Douglas Snyder
Douglas Snyder was appointed Chief Counsel to the Department of Health in January, 2023. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Snyder served as the Deputy Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Health since 2018. He served as an attorney for the Department of Health since 2007. During that time, Mr. Snyder served as counsel for numerous programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund, the Bureaus of Information and Informatics Technology, the Bureau of Health Planning, the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness and Response. He has also served as the Department of Health’s Right-to-Know Law Legal Liaison, Contracts Coordinator and as the Department’s designee for the Governor’s Advisory Council on Veteran Services.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Snyder served in the United States Army and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He is a 2002 graduate of Bloomsburg University. He graduated from The Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law in 2006 as a member of the school’s Woolsack Honor Society. After graduation, Mr. Snyder served as a legal intern for the Judge Advocate General and United States Army War College in Carlisle and clerked for the Honorable Richard J. Walsh of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas of the 39th Judicial District in Chambersburg.
Chief Financial Officer
Andrea Race
Andrea Race is the Chief Financial Officer at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Most recently, Ms. Race served as Assistant Fiscal Management Director for the Office of Budget at the Department of Human Services (DHS). She also served as a special advisor to the Budget Director and CFO for the Children's Health Insurance Program at DHS. Prior to transitioning to state government, Ms. Race provided fiscal leadership to local non-profits, including serving as CFO for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and as Fiscal Manager for Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania. Ms. Race holds a degree in Accounting from Rutgers University and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
Director, Office of Communications
Barry Ciccocioppo
Barry Ciccocioppo is the Director of Communications at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Mr. Ciccocioppo has an extensive range of communications and media relations experience in the private and public sector where he served in the executive and legislative branches and, most recently, as communications director for the Department of the Auditor General. He completed the Management Development Institute at the Department of Labor & Industry where he led the communications team. Mr. Ciccocioppo earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Shippensburg University. He is a graduate of the U.S. military's Defense Information School and served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Director, Office of Legislative Affairs
Daniel Myers
Daniel Myers is the Director of Legislative Affairs at the Pennsylvania Department of Heath. Mr. Myers most recently served as the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. Prior to that he served for 9 years as the Legislative Director/Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General. Mr. Myers’ career began in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Research Office. Mr. Myers is a graduate of Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law.
Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Director, Office of Policy
Maria Dispenziere
Maria Dispenziere is the Director of Policy at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Prior to joining the agency, Ms. Dispenziere served as the Deputy Director and Acting Director of Legislative Affairs at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. She previously served in various roles at the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, including as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary, Deputy Policy Director, and Deputy Legislative Director. Prior to joining the executive branch, Ms. Dispenziere served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Assistant in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Ms. Dispenziere has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and minor in Business from Villanova University, and a Master's degree in Public Policy from Monmouth University.
Director, Office of Operational Excellence
Samuel Priego
Samuel Priego is the Director of the Office of Operational Excellence at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Mr. Priego comes from the Department of Human Services (DHS) where he served as the Director of Strategic Operations (formerly known as Director of Transformation) since 2019. Mr. Priego has a thorough knowledge of process improvement strategies that he has used to help organizations streamline processes, improve customer service and quality. Prior to his role with DHS, Mr. Priego served as the Director of Quality Assurance at Dauphin County Human Services where he led improvement initiatives that resulted in time savings, costs savings, improved staff morale, and an overall positive customer experience. He also worked with Summit Physician Services (now WellSpan Health) in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania where he earned a lean certification through the Virginia Mason Institute. Sam earned his master's degree in Public Administration from the California State University, Dominguez Hills. He currently resides in Chambersburg, PA with this wife and 12-year-old twin children. Mr. Priego is the son of Mexican immigrants who instilled in him the importance of education, public service and giving back to the community. He is committed to advancing public health in Pennsylvania.