Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., is an accomplished strategic leader with a deep understanding of health care policy and operations and a heart-felt commitment to outstanding patient care. She most recently led the Medicare program and was deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she stood up the historic Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program and implemented initiatives to improve Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. She was also instrumental in transforming Medicare to provide more holistic care and enhanced support for individuals with disabilities—including first-ever payments for community health services, care navigation, training for family caregivers, and bundled payments for primary care.
Prior to joining the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Seshamani was vice president of clinical care transformation at MedStar Health, where she conceptualized, designed and implemented population health initiatives. While serving with MedStar, Dr. Seshamani collaborated to advise the Maryland National Guard and Maryland Department of Health on the state’s COVID-19 response. She also served on the Total Cost of Care and care transformation steering committees for the Maryland All-Payer Model.
Prior to her role at MedStar, Dr. Seshamani served as director of the Office of Health Reform in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She set policy priorities, led regulatory development, and oversaw programs around insurance coverage, prevention and public health, and delivery system reform—all in service of increasing access to health care coverage for millions of Americans.
Dr. Seshamani is a Hopkins-trained surgeon and Oxford-trained Ph.D. economist, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She cared for patients as a head and neck surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and at Kaiser Permanente.
As appointed by the Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, beginning April 8, 2025, Dr. Seshamani will assume the role of Secretary of the Department of Health for the State of Maryland.
