HPM alumna appointed Hawaii’s DHS director

December 11, 2014

Dr. Rachael Wong

Gillings School alumna Rachael Wong, DrPH, has been appointed director of Hawaii’s Department of Human Services, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Her appointment was announced Dec. 3 by Hawaii’s Gov. David Ige.

Wong most recently has served as vice president and chief operating officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, where she leads collaborations to improve community health and advocates for a comprehensive and financially strong health-care system that successfully responds to Hawaii’s diverse and changing health needs.

She holds degrees from Princeton University, the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received a Doctor of Public Health in health policy and management. She was selected as one of Pacific Business News’ 2008 “Forty Under 40” young leaders, is a Pacific Century Fellow and St. Francis International Center for Healthcare Ethics Bioethics Fellow, and currently is enrolled in the Omidyar Fellows program.

“We are committed to finding the best and brightest in our community to serve as effective leaders in state government,” Gov. Ige said, in his announcement about Wong and five other cabinet leaders. “These appointments show a variety of talented and dedicated individuals from both the public and private sectors, who have decided to work together to create a better Hawaii for future generations.”

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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.