Donna Shalala reflects on a career of health care leadership

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure - The former Health and Human Services secretary joined the Johns Hopkins Health Policy Forum for a discussion of her decades of leadership in health care policy Donna Shalala's storied career began in the Peace Corps, where she was one of the first American volunteers to join the organization. Of Lebanese descent, Shalala requested to be stationed in the Middle East, volunteering building an agricultural college in Iran. The experience was formative and set her on her path to becoming a longtime public servant and advocate for others. "First, I learned how to be fearless," she said during a virtual discussion hosted by Johns Hopkins on Wednesday. "Second, I really learned about poverty. Frankly, I became a citizen of the world." Shalala is the nation's longest-tenured secretary of Health and Human Services, having served for eight years during the Clinton Administration, from 1993 to 2001. She is currently the Trustee Professor of Political Science and Health Policy at the University of Miami.