DR. ELI N. AVILA, MD, JD, MPH, FCLM
SECRETARY OF HEALTH
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
In early January 2011, Governor Tom Corbett announced Eli N. Avila, MD, JD, MPH, FCLM as his nominee to head the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Beginning his post on Jan. 18, 2011 as Pennsylvania's top health regulator, Dr. Avila is responsible for carrying out the Health Department's mission to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent injury and disease and to assure the safe delivery of quality health care for all Pennsylvania citizens.
Dr. Avila is a practicing physician, attorney and public health executive. Before joining the commonwealth, he worked as Chief Deputy Commissioner of Health Services for Suffolk County, NY – the seventh largest county in the United States, managing an annual budget of more than $400 million and overseeing a staff of nearly 1,500 employees. Dr. Avila recently practiced law in New York City for an environmental biotechnology company and practiced administrative/clinical medicine as the Senior Examining Occupational Medicine Physician for the Department of Health and Human Services' Federal Occupational Health Service in the Capital Region of New York.
Dr. Avila has trained in internal medicine, ophthalmology, and occupational and environmental medicine. For 12 years, he was a member of the academic/clinical faculty at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons in the Department of Ophthalmology. He also co-chaired the New York State Bar Association's Medical Research and Biotechnology subcommittee and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Health Law Section.
In addition, Dr. Avila has served as a sworn medical legal expert before the New York State Legislature's Health Committees, where he has explained federal jurisdiction, medical policy and recent federal court decisions and appeals on cases that directly impact pending health legislation in New York State. He is a Fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine, sits on the Ad Hoc Committee for Legislative and Executive Affairs, and is board certified in legal medicine by the American Board of Legal Medicine. His volunteer and community service credits include participation in several county medical reserve units, the role of medical director for the Suffolk County Urban Search and Rescue Team, and consultation as a police surgeon for several law enforcement agencies. He has also been included in the "Who's Who" of Hispanic Americans since 1994.
Dr. Avila received his bachelor's degree in biology from Brown University, M.D. from Brown University School of Medicine, along with a J.D. (cum laude) from the St. John's University School of Law and a Master of Public Health (honors) from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Program in Public Health – New York University.
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