Georges C. Benjamin (born September 28, 1952) is an American public health official who has served as Executive Director of the

American Public Health Association The American Public Health Association (APHA) is a Washington, D.C.–based professional membership and advocacy organization for public health professionals in the United States. APHA is the largest professional organization of public health pr ...

since 2002, and previously as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the Cabinet of Governor

Parris Glendening Parris Nelson Glendening (born June 11, 1942) is an American politician and academic who served as the 59th governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. He previously served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1982 to 19 ...

from 1999 to 2002. He is a member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Early life and education

Benjamin was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He earned a B.S. from the

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

, and an M.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

Career

Following graduation from medical school, he began his career at the

Madigan Army Medical Center The Madigan Army Medical Center, located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord just outside Lakewood, Washington, is a key component of the Madigan Healthcare System and one of the largest military hospitals on the West Coast of the United States, West Coas ...

in Tacoma, Washington in 1981, serving there until he was transferred to the

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

in Washington, D.C., in 1983. Following his discharge from the United States Army in 1987, he was appointed as Chair of the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the

District of Columbia General Hospital The District of Columbia General Hospital was a hospital located in the Hill East neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was operational from 1806 to its controversial closing by mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2001 as the city was trying to cut costs ...

, serving in that post until 1990. From 1990 to 1991, he served as Acting Commissioner of the District of Columbia Department of Health, and as Director of the Emergency Ambulance Bureau in the

District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (also known as DC FEMS, FEMS, DCFD, DC Fire, or DC Fire & EMS), established July 1, 1804, provides fire protection and emergency medical service for the District of Columbia, ...

. He returned to service as the Director of the Emergency Ambulance Bureau from 1994 to 1995. In 1995, he was appointed as Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene serving in that post until his appointment as Secretary in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Georges C. 1952 births African-American people in Maryland politics African-American state cabinet secretaries Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Living people Members of the National Academy of Medicine Military personnel from Chicago People from Gaithersburg, Maryland Physicians from Maryland Physicians from Chicago Physicians from Washington, D.C. Physicians from Washington (state) State cabinet secretaries of Maryland State health commissioners of the United States United States Army Medical Corps officers University of Illinois College of Medicine alumni 20th-century African-American physicians 20th-century American physicians 20th-century Maryland politicians 21st-century African-American physicians 21st-century American physicians 21st-century Maryland politicians