Pending an upcoming confirmation by the state Senate, Dr. Rachel Levine could become Pennsylvania's newest Physician General and the first transgender woman to hold the position. Prior to being submitted by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Levine's decades long career included practicing pediatrics and psychiatry.
She currently serves as the chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where she is also a professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry.
Levine, who is openly trans, became actively involved in the Pennsylvania trans community 10 years ago. Since then become a fixture in local queer student outreach initiatives as the liaison for LGBT Affairs to the Penn State Hershey Office of Diversity.
"You don't suddenly decide at 50-something that you're transgender,” Levine said of her coming out. “I think that it has helped me in terms of the LGBT community in terms of understanding what all the issues are, and I think I've been able to serve as a mentor and role model to LGBT individuals at the medical center as well as in the community."
