He takes over from Secretary Neall who has retired.
Baltimore, Md (KM) Governor Larry Hogan on Wednesday nominated Dennis Schrader as Maryland Secretary of Health. He had been serving as Acting Secretary since Robert Neall retired.
Officials say Schrader has held other positions at the Department of Health, including Acting Secretary in 2017, Deputy Secretary for Healthcare Financing and Chief Operating Officer. from January, 2018 to December, 2020, He currently manages the Department’s hospital surge operations to make sure these health care facilities don’t exceed their capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am honored and humbled that Governor Hogan has put forth my nomination to lead MDH during these challenging times,” Schrader says in a statement. “Clearly, my primary focus continues to be steering MDH through the COVID-19 crisis and getting as many Marylanders vaccinated as possible. We remain committed to protecting the public health of all Marylanders.”
The Health Department says Schrader’s career spans almost five decades. During that time, he served as a US Navy Captain and worked at The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. Schrader also served as Deputy Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Director of the Maryland Office of Homeland Security where he concentrated on emergency response and recovery, and that included biological incidents. In the private sector, Schrader spent 16 years at the University of Maryland Medical System, where he worked on project development and hospital operations.
The Governor also nominated Atif Chaudhry as the Health Department’s Deputy Secretary of Operations. Chaudhry previously served as Acting Deputy Secretary of Operations since August, 2020, and was the Administration’s Director of the Office of Facilities Management and Development since 2017.
“I look forward to the ongoing challenge of supporting the Department’s operational and logistical COVID-19 response,” Chaudhry says in a statement. “We have all been tested beyond anything we could have imagined during the past year, but I am honored to be given the opportunity to continue serving the resident of Maryland in this critical mission.”
Chaudhry replaces Gregg Todd, who left the Department in 2020.
By Kevin McManus