Dr. Laura Herrera Scott

Daily Record Staff//March 31, 2023

//March 31, 2023

Secretary, Maryland Department of Health

Dr. Laura Herrera Scott has been Maryland’s health secretary in Gov. Wes Moore’s administration for just a few months, but she’s already looking to the state’s post-pandemic future and how to prepare all residents for the possibility of another emerging infectious disease.

How has the pandemic changed your view on your job or broader profession.

The pandemic highlighted the critical need to re-envision the public health system of the future. COVID-19 exposed many challenges with testing, information sharing, communication, and other areas. We need to take the lessons learned to build a more robust system that anticipates and can respond to future emerging infectious diseases and other threats.

We need to think about the communities we serve and how to make them more resilient. We also need to consider how we reenergize the Maryland workforce to meet our population’s health and social needs.

What’s your best advice for someone who aspires to your job?

Learn as much as possible in all the areas the Maryland Department of Health oversees: Medicaid, Health Care Financing, Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Public Health. But it isn’t all just health, either. Learn how budgets work. If given the opportunity in your career to manage a budget, say yes. Take advantage of public speaking opportunities. Lastly, but most importantly, be willing to serve all Marylanders.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Health Care Power List for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.

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