Dorothy Fink

Dorothy Fink is an American endocrinologist who has held several senior positions within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She served as acting Secretary of HHS in early 2025 during a period of administrative transition and later continued her public‑service career as principal deputy assistant secretary for health, beginning in November 2025. Her professional background spans clinical practice, academic research, and policy leadership focused on women’s health and public health systems.

Early life and career

Fink was born to Robert and Karen Fink in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She completed her secondary education at Westmont Hilltop High School, graduating in 1999. After high school she enrolled at Georgetown University, where she pursued studies centered on health sciences. While an undergraduate student, she received recognition for outstanding research in chemistry and was named a USA Today Academic All‑American. In addition to her academic pursuits, Fink appeared as a contestant on the television game show *The Price Is Right* during its January 17, 2007 episode.

She earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. Her postgraduate training included a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She then completed a National Institutes of Health (NIH) post‑doctoral fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. During this fellowship 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 for her expertise in diabetes management, nutrition, bone health, and menopause. Fink has practiced clinically at institutions including the Hospital for Special Surgery and NewYork‑Presbyterian Hospital affiliated with Cornell University, where she focused on care for women from adolescence through menopause.

Cabinet tenure

In 2018 President Donald Trump appointed Fink as deputy assistant secretary for women’s health within HHS. In that capacity she represented the United States at the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review, addressing issues related to reducing health disparities among minority populations. She also served as director of the Office on Women’s Health, where she delivered lectures emphasizing the importance of fostering a culture of immunization, improving vaccine uptake, and countering misinformation about vaccines.

On January 20, 2025, following the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for permanent secretary that had not yet been confirmed by the Senate, Fink was named acting United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. In this interim role she issued a memo titled “Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Publication Communications,” which directed HHS personnel to withhold any documents intended for publication from the Office of the Federal Register until reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee. The memo also required that health‑agency staff coordinate with presidential appointees before issuing official correspondence, including statements or interpretations of department regulations or policy. These directives effectively halted routine operations across major HHS agencies—particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—by preventing submissions to the Federal Register.

Although the memo’s expiration date was set for February 1, 2025, its effect on submission procedures persisted through at least March 2, 2025. Consequently, federal biomedical and public‑health research agencies experienced a significant slowdown in their normal workflow.

On February 7, 2025, under Fink’s direction as acting secretary, the NIH issued guidance that reduced indirect cost rates for institutions conducting NIH‑sponsored research. The policy shift drew criticism from leading scientific and medical associations, which described the funding reductions as severe. In response, attorneys general of twenty‑two states, 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 halt the cuts.

On February 10, 2025 U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley granted a temporary restraining order that blocked the implementation of the NIH policy changes. Fink was named as a co‑defendant in the litigation and submitted a brief opposing the restraining order, defending the funding reductions. A subsequent hearing on February 21 extended the restraining order pending a final ruling. By that time, many research institutions had already begun to close laboratories, pause graduate student admissions, and freeze hiring and spending in anticipation of the policy’s impact.

After her tenure as acting secretary, Fink served as acting assistant secretary for health from May to November 2025. She then assumed the role of principal deputy assistant secretary for health in November 2025, continuing her involvement in HHS leadership under President Trump’s administration.

Legacy

Fink’s career reflects a blend of clinical expertise, academic scholarship, and public‑health policy experience. Her early work as an endocrinologist and menopause specialist informed her later focus on women’s health at the federal level. As deputy assistant secretary for women’s health, she addressed international audiences about reducing disparities in minority populations and promoted strategies to improve immunization practices.

Her brief period as acting Secretary of HHS was marked by administrative measures that temporarily suspended routine publication processes across major health agencies. The subsequent policy changes to NIH indirect cost rates and the legal challenges they triggered highlighted tensions between agency leadership decisions and the broader scientific community’s expectations regarding research funding stability.

In her continued role as principal deputy assistant secretary for health, Fink remains a key figure in shaping HHS policies related to public health infrastructure, disease prevention, and health equity. Her contributions to both clinical practice and federal health policy underscore a career dedicated to advancing medical knowledge and improving population health outcomes.