Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary
14 reports
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Organization
Government · Holding structure · 83K employees · Washington, DC
12
Agency head span
↑ wider than peers (avg 10)
3.5
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
3 levels
Interactive org chart
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services organizational chart
Explore the agency leadership model, component structure, and reporting layers from official public sources.
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HHS is a cabinet-level department overseeing U.S. health, public health, biomedical research, and human services through major operating divisions such as CDC, CMS, FDA, and NIH, reporting to the President.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Scenario views in the chart
- Add Department-wide Data and AI Office Model creation of a cross-cutting Chief Data and AI Officer reporting to the Deputy Secretary to coordinate analytics, AI, and data governance across OPDIVs.
- Move Preparedness Under Deputy Secretary Evaluate moving ASPR to report to the Deputy Secretary to improve operational coordination during emergencies.
Atlas work this supports
- Compare public operating models Use this official-source baseline to compare agencies, components, reporting layers, and field-office networks.
- Model vacancies and transitions Create planning scenarios for acting leaders, new offices, component moves, and cross-agency coordination changes.
- Keep an official source trail Track source URLs, leadership updates, and agency structure changes in one Atlas workspace for review.
The people
Key leaders and offices
9 senior leadership roles or offices from official public sources. Use this section as a current agency-leadership index, not a private-company filing table.
Andrea Palm
Deputy Secretary
Office of the Secretary
0 reports
Sean McCluskie
Chief of Staff
Immediate Office of the Secretary
0 reports
Christi A. Grimm
Inspector General
Office of Inspector General
0 reports
Daniel Barry
General Counsel
Office of the General Counsel
0 reports
Karl S. Mathias
Chief Information Officer
Office of the Chief Information Officer
0 reports
Lisa J. Pino
Director, Office for Civil Rights
Office for Civil Rights
0 reports
Dawn O’Connell
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
ASPR
0 reports
Rachel L. Levine
Assistant Secretary for Health
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
0 reports
The operating model
How U.S. Department of Health and Human Services divides the work
5 offices, branches, or components organize the agency mission. Tile size scales with estimated staff where public estimates exist.
Office of the Secretary
2K employees
sec
Central leadership, policy direction, legal, civil rights, IT, and oversight offices supporting the Secretary.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
15K employees
cdc
Nation’s lead public health agency for disease prevention, surveillance, and emergency response.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
6K employees
cms
Administers Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and health insurance standards.
Food and Drug Administration
18K employees
fda
Regulates food, drugs, biologics, medical devices, and tobacco products.
National Institutes of Health
20K employees
nih
Nation’s primary biomedical research agency, funding and conducting medical research.
The agency brief
What this U.S. agency structure tells us
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level department charged with protecting the health and well-being of all Americans and providing essential human services. Led by the Secretary, HHS operates as a holding-style department overseeing large, semi-autonomous operating divisions (OPDIVs) such as CDC, CMS, FDA, NIH, HRSA, and ACF. Authority flows from the Secretary—who advises the President and executes federal health statutes—to assistant secretaries and heads of operating divisions with specialized statutory mandates. Structurally distinctive features include the scale of grant-making and entitlement administration (notably Medicare and Medicaid via CMS), independent scientific and regulatory missions (NIH and FDA), and a strong public-health emergency function through ASPR. The department’s mission is citizen-facing and nationwide, spanning regulation, research, service delivery, and emergency response.
- Large semi-autonomous operating divisions
- Major entitlement administration through CMS
- Centralized public health emergency authority via ASPR
The comparison
Compare with related agencies
Compared with the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice, HHS has a broader service-delivery and grant-making footprint and fewer law-enforcement functions. Relative to agencies like EPA or Interior, HHS is more decentralized, with very large operating divisions that function almost as stand-alone …
Senior office count
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
9
Reporting depth
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
3 levels
3 levels
3 levels
3 levels
Current signals
What changed recently
No recent leadership changes documented in the provided official sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who leads the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services?
The Department is led by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
What does the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services do?
HHS protects the health of Americans and provides essential human services, including public health protection, biomedical research, healthcare coverage programs, and social services.
What are the major offices or components of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services?
Major components include the CDC, CMS, FDA, NIH, HRSA, Administration for Children and Families, and several staff divisions reporting to the Secretary.
Who does the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report to?
HHS is an executive department that reports to the President of the United States.
How can this org chart be used for planning or analysis?
The org chart helps policymakers and planners understand reporting lines, span of control, and how major health missions are distributed across HHS components.
Sources
Reference
Cite this page
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Creately. "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/us-government/department-of-health-and-human-services/.Permanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/us-government/department-of-health-and-human-services/ · last updated 2026-04-01