ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Diya TV) — Dr. Meena Seshamani officially became Maryland’s new secretary of health on April 2, stepping into a high-stakes role as the state’s Health Department grapples with major financial, operational and public trust challenges.
Surrounded by family, Seshamani was sworn in during a ceremony in Annapolis, taking over a department still reeling from controversy surrounding her predecessor, Dr. Laura Herrera Scott, who resigned in February after a wave of negative headlines and calls for fiscal reform.
Advocates for people with developmental disabilities say they’re eager to begin working with the new secretary to stabilize the department and repair strained relationships.
“We’re looking to meet with the new secretary soon and hope to right that ship,” said Ande Kolp, executive director of The Arc Maryland, in an interview with Maryland Matters. Kolp has been a vocal critic of the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), which is overseen by the Health Department and has faced growing complaints over burdensome paperwork and limited transparency.
The DDA became a political flashpoint during this year’s General Assembly session as lawmakers and Gov. Wes Moore debated deep budget cuts to help close a projected $3 billion shortfall in the state’s fiscal 2026 budget. Moore initially proposed slashing $457 million from the DDA, calling its spending “unsustainable.” After strong public pushback, lawmakers settled on a reduced $164 million cut as part of the final budget passed Monday.
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) underscored the need for financial reform, saying earlier this year the department required “significant financial cleanup” after incorrect Medicaid and DDA spending projections surfaced.
Seshamani, a former deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Biden administration, brings both clinical and policy expertise to the job. She is a Johns Hopkins-trained head and neck surgeon and holds a Ph.D. in economics from Oxford University. She previously served as a MedStar Health executive and clinician at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Despite the challenges, Seshamani said she is honored to take on the role.
“I seek to protect and improve the health of all Marylanders in a thoughtful, data-driven way,” she said in a written statement released Wednesday. “I look forward to partnering with the Department staff, the Moore-Miller administration, the Maryland General Assembly, and all organizations that strive to provide a world-class health care system for our state.”
Seshamani also inherits oversight of the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, a maximum-security psychiatric facility in Howard County that has been plagued by reports of violence and patient abuse.
In addition to state-level troubles, Seshamani will need to navigate emerging federal headwinds. Since February, the Trump administration has announced sweeping changes affecting health care funding and staffing. The National Institutes of Health attempted to cancel billions in research grants, CMS pulled support for Maryland’s Medicaid hospital rate-setting program, and the Department of Health and Human Services proposed slashing 20,000 jobs — nearly a quarter of its workforce.
While Seshamani has not commented publicly on those federal developments, her experience in national health policy may prove vital as Maryland works to safeguard its health systems amid shifting federal priorities.
Her appointment was announced by Gov. Moore in March following what his office described as a comprehensive search for a leader capable of restoring trust and transparency to one of Maryland’s most critical agencies.
