Joshua M. Sharfstein

Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in January 2011.

In March 2009, President Obama appointed Dr. Sharfstein to serve as the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency's second highest-ranking position. He served as the Acting Commissioner from March 2009 through May 2009 and as Principal Deputy Commissioner through January 2011.

From December 2005 through March 2009, Dr. Sharfstein served as the Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore, Maryland. In this position, he led efforts to expand literacy efforts in pediatric primary care, facilitate the transition to Medicare Part D for disabled adults, engage college students in public health activities, increase influenza vaccination of healthcare workers, and expand access to effective treatment for opioid addiction. Under his leadership, the Baltimore Health Department and its affiliated agencies have won multiple national awards for innovative programs, and in 2008, Dr. Sharfstein was named Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine.

From July 2001 to December 2005, Dr. Sharfstein served as minority professional staff of the Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Henry A. Waxman. Dr. Sharfstein is a 1991 graduate of Harvard College, a 1996 graduate of Harvard Medical School, a 1999 graduate of the combined residency program in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center, and a 2001 graduate of the fellowship in general pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine.