Office of the Chief Medical Officer

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO) is located in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children & Families. The Chief Medical Officer serves as the main advisor to the Assistant Secretary regarding health-related programming and initiatives.

As a human service agency, ACF is concerned with “the social determinants of health.” Social determinants are social, economic and physical conditions into which people are born and live. Examples of these conditions include growing up in a high-crime neighborhood, living in older homes with poisonous lead, or attending poor quality schools. The effects can negatively affect income and education level of parents that lead to neglect or abuse. These factors have a direct influence on long-term health.

Key priorities of the OCMO include:

  • Examining health outcomes for human trafficking victims
  • Regulating the uses of psychotropic medications for youth in foster care
  • Maximizing the health and development for young children in ACF’s early childhood programs

The OCMO also serves on intergovernmental task forces, working groups and committees across HHS on health policies related to the agency’s human services programs.

Leadership
George L. Askew, M.D., serves as the first chief medical officer for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).