As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kate Walsh leads the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), which provides access to medical and behavioral health care, long-term services and supports, and key nutritional and financial benefits. She represents a team of more than 21,000 staff across 11 agencies and the MassHealth system, who work daily to provide services and programs for nearly 1 in every 3 Massachusetts residents.
Secretary Walsh leads one of the strongest health and human services operations in the country – a safety net that sustains some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable children, adults, and older adults. Her goal as Secretary is to ensure that the safety net remains strong, flexible, and efficient for those who need it, and serves as a mechanism to elevate people whose lives have taken a difficult turn.
Prior to her appointment to Governor Healey’s cabinet, Secretary Walsh served as CEO of the Boston Medical Center (BMC) health system for 13 years, overseeing an annual operating revenue of $6 billion. The BMC health system is comprised of a 514 bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, as well as WellSense Health Plan, a Medicaid Managed Care Organization, and Boston HealthNet, a network affiliation of 14 community health centers.
Before her time at BMC, Secretary Walsh served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Chief Operating Officer for Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, and at Massachusetts General Hospital in positions including Senior Vice President of Medical Services and the MGH Cancer Center. Prior to her tenure at Mass General, she held positions in a number of New York City hospitals including Montefiore, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Saint Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.
Secretary Walsh received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health degrees from Yale University. She has served as a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Pine Street Inn, and Yale University.