Ala Stanford appointed by President Biden to be regional director of Health and Human Services

President Joe Biden on Tuesday appointed Ala Stanford, the Montgomery County physician who founded the nationally acclaimed Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium during the earliest days of the pandemic, as a regional director for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Stanford will serve as the director of Region 3, which serves Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She was one of three new regional directors announced Tuesday by the White House.

“These regional appointees will be critical to the President’s efforts to rebuild communities most impacted by the pandemic, the economic recovery, and climate change,” the White House said in its announcement.

“They bring deep expertise in their issue areas as well as critical relationships with federal, state, tribal, and local leaders. And, consistent with the President’s commitment to building an administration that looks like America, these regional appointees represent the diversity of America and the communities they serve,” the White House said.

Stanford referred an interview request from the Inquirer to Health and Human Services’ public affairs office, which could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey applauded Stanford’s appointment in a statement on Twitter: “As founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, she has saved lives & improved health outcomes across Philadelphia. I know she will lead with distinction as the Nation continues to recover.”

Stanford founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium in Philadelphia in April 2020 to provide tests, and eventually vaccines, in underserved neighborhoods — helping tens of thousands of Philadelphians since the start of the pandemic. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including being named a 2021 Top 10 CNN Hero and 2021 George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award recipient.

A 10,000-square-foot clinic named after her was opened last fall in the Swampoodle section of Philadelphia.

Around the same time, Stanford withdrew her name for consideration as a candidate as city health commissioner. She cited the needs of the fledgling clinic and also wanted to avoid any appearances of a conflict of interest when the clinic seeks government funding and other support.

Stanford is certified by the American Board of Surgery in both pediatric and adult general surgery. She is the former director of the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities of Temple University School of Medicine and serves on the CDC Philadelphia Department of Public Health COVID19 Vaccine Advisory Committee.