Dorothy Fink

Dorothy Alanna Fink is an American medical physician and former government official who served as the acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in early 2025. Prior to that appointment she held several senior positions within the Department of Health and Human Services, including deputy assistant secretary for women’s health and director of the Office on Women’s Health. Fink’s career has spanned clinical endocrinology, academic research, and public‑health administration, with a particular emphasis on women’s health issues such as menopause, diabetes management, and bone disease.

Early life and career

Dorothy Fink was born on January 1, 1980, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She grew up in the family of Robert and Karen Fink and completed her secondary education at Westmont Hilltop High School, graduating in 1999. Her undergraduate studies were conducted at Georgetown University, where she focused on health studies and earned several academic honors, including recognition for outstanding undergraduate research in chemistry and selection as a USA Today Academic All‑American.

In 2007, Fink appeared as a contestant on the television game show *The Price Is Right* during its January 17 episode. She later pursued medical training at Georgetown University School of Medicine, earning her MD. After graduation she completed a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her post‑doctoral training was conducted through a National Institutes of Health fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. During this period she was selected as a Women’s Health Scholar and worked at the Center for Menopause, Hormonal Disorders and Women’s Health.

Fink has authored or co‑authored eleven peer‑reviewed articles covering topics such as thromboembolic disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Her scholarly impact is reflected in an h‑index of 11. She holds board certifications in endocrinology, internal medicine, and pediatrics, and she is recognized nationally for her expertise in menopause, estrogen therapy, nutrition, and bone health. Fink’s clinical practice has focused on women from adolescence through menopause and beyond, and she has practiced at institutions including the Hospital for Special Surgery and NewYork‑Presbyterian Hospital affiliated with Cornell University. She has also presented at multiple national medical meetings.

Cabinet tenure

In 2018 President Donald Trump appointed Fink as deputy assistant secretary for women’s health within the Department of Health and Human Services. In that capacity she represented the United States before the United Nations Human Rights Council during its Universal Periodic Review, addressing the importance of reducing health disparities among minority populations. She also served as director of the Office on Women’s Health, where she delivered lectures emphasizing the need to enhance immunization culture, increase vaccine uptake, and counter misinformation about vaccines.

On January 20, 2025, following the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services by President Trump, Fink was named acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. Her tenure as acting secretary lasted until February 1, 2025. During that period she issued a memo titled “Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Publication Communications.” The memo directed health‑agency personnel to withhold any document intended for publication from the Office of the Federal Register until it had been reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee. It also required coordination with presidential appointees before issuing official correspondence that contained interpretations or statements of department regulations or policy. The effect of these directives was to suspend routine operations within major HHS agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Although the memo’s expiration date was February 1, 2025, its restrictions on submissions to the Federal Register remained in place as of March 2, 2025. This continued limitation effectively halted the publication of federal biomedical and public‑health research funding agency documents.

On February 7, 2025, under Fink’s direction as acting secretary, the National Institutes of Health issued new guidance that reduced rates for indirect costs associated with NIH‑sponsored research institutions. The policy shift prompted criticism from leading scientific and medical associations, who described the cuts as devastating, apocalyptic, disastrous, or catastrophic. In response, attorneys general from twenty‑two states, along with the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Association of American Universities, and other organizations representing major biomedical research institutions, filed lawsuits seeking an injunction to prevent the policy from taking effect.

On February 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley of the District of Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of the NIH funding cuts. Fink was named as a co‑defendant in the litigation and filed a brief opposing the restraining order, defending the policy changes. A subsequent hearing on February 21 extended the temporary restraining order pending a final ruling. During this period many scientific research institutions began to shutter laboratories, pause graduate student admissions, and freeze hiring and spending in anticipation of the potential impact of the funding reductions.

Legacy

Fink’s career reflects a combination of clinical expertise in endocrinology, scholarly contributions to women’s health research, and service within federal public‑health administration. Her early work as deputy assistant secretary for women’s health and director of the Office on Women’s Health focused on reducing health disparities, improving immunization practices, and addressing vaccine misinformation at both national and international levels.

Her brief tenure as acting Secretary of Health and Human Services was marked by significant administrative actions that temporarily halted routine operations within key HHS agencies. The memo issued to pause document publication and the subsequent NIH guidance on indirect cost rates generated widespread attention from scientific communities and state governments, leading to legal challenges that highlighted tensions between federal policy decisions and research funding structures.

The litigation surrounding the NIH funding cuts underscored the influence of administrative actions on the broader biomedical research ecosystem. While the temporary restraining order prevented immediate implementation of the policy changes, the episode demonstrated how leadership decisions within HHS can have far-reaching implications for research institutions, clinical practices, and public‑health initiatives.

Overall, Fink’s professional trajectory illustrates a sustained commitment to women’s health issues, an engagement with national and international health policy discussions, and experience navigating complex administrative responsibilities during periods of transition within the Department of Health and Human Services.