show bio Donna Shalala

Before her appointment as president of the University of Miami in 2001, Donna Shalala served as secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years under then-President Clinton. In 2007, President Bush appointed Shalala and former Senator Bob Dole as co-chairs of a commission to investigate problems uncovered at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Shalala was given the 1992 National Public Service Award, the 1994 Glamour magazine Woman of the Year Award, and in 2005 was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S.News & World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Bush in 2008.

Improving Veteran Healthcare in America
Date: 10/19/2007

University of Miami President Donna Shalala, former secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration, talks about reform in outpatient healthcare services for veterans. She discusses serving on a bipartisan presidential commission to reform veteran healthcare to provide soldiers with long-term mental health services. She claims the problem with the previous veteran healthcare system was that it was disorganized and difficult for families to comprehend. According to Shalala, simplicity is one of the most important lessons to learn in public service. In the question and answer period, Shalala addresses the changing role of the social worker, removing the stigma of mental health from the military, as well as the realities and challenges of creating a universal healthcare system.

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