LYNN — Former Chief Executive Officer of Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) Dr. Kiame Mahaniah has been appointed by Gov. Maura Healey as the secretary of Health and Human Services, effective Monday.
Mahaniah has served as undersecretary of health for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) since April 2023. As secretary, Mahaniah will lead a team of more than 23,000 staff members across 11 agencies and the MassHealth program who work daily to provide services and supports directly to nearly one in every three Massachusetts residents. He will also oversee public health efforts that impact every community in the state.
Mahaniah is a practicing physician in the field of addiction and primary care, who will continue to see patients while serving as secretary, as he did while undersecretary.
“This is certainly a challenging moment for health care and human services work, but our state has a head start – thanks to our world-leading resources, talent, providers and partners – to come together, solve problems and work to make the right services and supports available to people who need them,” Mahaniah said.
An avid teacher and committed mentor, Mahaniah is an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. He earned a Masters of Business Administration from University of Massachusetts Amherst, a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University and a Bachelor of Arts from Haverford College.
“Dr. Mahaniah has an outstanding record as a physician, a community leader and a valued member of the EOHHS leadership team. As the Trump Administration undermines health care and food access for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents, Dr. Mahaniah will be committed to making high-quality health care more affordable and accessible for all of our residents, bringing an urgently needed focus on primary care and behavioral health care, and maintaining our nation-leading health and human services system in Massachusetts,” Healey said.
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh will shift into the role of senior advisor to the governor on health and human services matters, following her more than 40 years as a health care leader, including 13 years as CEO of Boston Medical Center.
“I am incredibly grateful to Kate Walsh for her leadership of EOHHC,” Healey said. “She has been the leader we needed to navigate some major challenges, including saving a safety net system of hospitals across eastern Massachusetts during the Steward Health Care bankruptcy last year. She has contributed so much, not just to our administration, but to the health care in Massachusetts over the course of her career, and we appreciate that she will continue to offer us guidance during these challenging times.”
Walsh emphasized that “our team and the residents of Massachusetts are in great hands with Dr. Mahaniah, who has already been a highly capable and compassionate leader of some of our most important programs.”
Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) congratulated Mahaniah on his appointment, as he served as LCHC’s chief executive officer for five years. Mahaniah is credited with leading LCHC’s transition into value-based care.
LCHC wrote that Mahaniah became “a trusted and steady leader during the COVID-19 pandemic” and that, “in addition to his statewide responsibilities, Dr. Mahaniah continues to care for his longstanding panel of patients at LCHC, remaining grounded in the community he has long served.”
“On behalf of the entire Lynn Community Health Center, we are deeply proud to see Dr. Mahaniah assume this critical and distinguished role,” LCHC Chief Executive Officer Brenda Rodriguez said. “Throughout his tenure with us, Dr. Mahaniah has exemplified a leadership style defined by compassion, equity and profound humility. We are confident that these enduring values will continue to guide his vision as secretary.
“It is a privilege that he remains connected to our organization and to the patients whose lives he has touched with unwavering dedication. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is truly fortunate to have such a principled and visionary leader at the helm of Health and Human Services during this pivotal moment.”
Mahaniah said he is grateful to Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll for “the opportunity to continue serving the people of Massachusetts as secretary” and to Walsh “for her leadership over the past few years.”
