Ralph A. Alvarado (born April 30, 1970) is an American physician and politician and is currently serving as the 15th Commissioner of the
Tennessee Department of Health
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is the primary agency of state government in Tennessee responsible for public health. Its workforce provides a variety of direct and indirect services to residents and visitors in all 95 counties of the ...
. He served as a member of the
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...
representing the 28th District from 2015 to 2023. Upon taking office, he became the first Hispanic person elected to the
Kentucky General Assembly. His father is from
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and his mother is from
Argentina. He assumed office on January 1, 2015, serving until January 6, 2023, when he would resign to accept the role of commissioner.
Alvarado was born in
San Francisco, California and raised in
Pacifica and
San Jose, California. He graduated from
Bellarmine College Preparatory
Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, Jesuit, private secondary school located in San Jose, California. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. In 2020, Niche ...
in San Jose in 1988.
He graduated from
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools
and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...
in California in 1990 with a
Bachelor of Science degree in biology and completed an
MD from the same university in 1994. He completed his
residency at the
University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.
He spoke at the
2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, was held July 18–21, 2016, at Quicken Lo ...
.
He sponsored a 2017 medical malpractice bill that was later struck down by the
Kentucky Supreme Court for obstructing access to the courts.
Alvarado was chosen by
Governor Matt Bevin to be his running mate in the
2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election
The 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the Governor of Kentucky, governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, lieutenant governor of Kentucky. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee, ...
. The Bevin-Alvarado ticket lost the general election on November 5, 2019, to the
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
ticket of
Andy Beshear and
Jacqueline Coleman.
On November 22, 2022,
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that he had appointed Alvarado commissioner of the
Tennessee Department of Health
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is the primary agency of state government in Tennessee responsible for public health. Its workforce provides a variety of direct and indirect services to residents and visitors in all 95 counties of the ...
. Alvarado would resign from the
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...
on January 6, 2023, and become the 15th Commissioner of the
Tennessee Department of Health
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is the primary agency of state government in Tennessee responsible for public health. Its workforce provides a variety of direct and indirect services to residents and visitors in all 95 counties of the ...
on January 16, 2023.
A special election will be held on May 16, 2023, to fill the 28th Senate District vacancy created by Alvarado's resignation.
References
External links
Profile at the Kentucky Senate website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarado, Ralph
1970 births
21st-century American politicians
American people of Argentine descent
American people of Costa Rican descent
American politicians of Costa Rican descent
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators
Republican Party Kentucky state senators
Living people
Loma Linda University alumni
People from Pacifica, California
Politicians from San Francisco
People from San Jose, California
People from Winchester, Kentucky
Physicians from Kentucky