Commissioner

Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services
Jeanne M. Lambrew, Ph.D.

Photo of Commissioner Jeanne LambrewJeanne Lambrew has served as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services since 2019. As Commissioner, she leads the largest agency in state government, which provides health care and social services to approximately a third of the state's population, including children, families, older Mainers, and those with disabilities, mental health and substance use disorders.

The Department also promotes public health through its Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, operates two state psychiatric hospitals, runs Maine’s Medicaid program and the state Health Insurance Marketplace, and provides oversight to health care providers through its licensing division.

Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, Dr. Lambrew was a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and adjunct professor at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

She previously worked in President Obama's administration, first as director of the Office of Health Reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she worked on passage of the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA). From 2011 to January 2017, she served as President Obama's deputy assistant for health policy, guiding the implementation of the ACA as well as initiatives to improve the quality and value of Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and public health.

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Dr. Lambrew was an associate professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas (2007–2008) and the George Washington University School of Public Health (2001–2007). She was a senior fellow for health policy at the Center for American Progress (2003–2007).

Dr. Lambrew also served in the Clinton Administration, in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (1993–1995), the White House National Economic Council (1997–1999), and the White House Office of Management and Budget (2000–2001).

She received her master's and doctoral degrees in health policy from the University of North Carolina's school of public health and her bachelor's degree from Amherst College.

She grew up in Cape Elizabeth.