Washington state will get a new secretary of health in less than a month.
Dennis Worsham is currently the director of the Snohomish County Health Department, and will bring more than 32 years of public health experience when he steps up to lead the state Department of Health. He begins July 7, and will become the state's third health secretary in six years.
"I am honored to serve and deeply committed to upholding and strengthening a public health system that is not only resilient, but also more just," Worsham said in a Monday statement announcing Ferguson's decision to appoint him. "It is critical that we continue to build a system that earns the trust of communities and strives for every person to have equitable access to the care and resources they need to thrive."
Worsham, a lifelong Washingtonian, grew up in Othello before attending Eastern Washington University, where he received his bachelor's degree in health services administration, according to Gov. Bob Ferguson's office. Worsham began his public health career at the Snohomish County Health Department in the 1990s, where he worked as an HIV and STD program manager and health educator for the LGBTQ+ community during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the state health department said in the statement.
He then spent time at Public Health — Seattle & King County, including as interim director and tuberculosis control program manager, and at DOH as deputy secretary for health.
"Dennis Worsham is well positioned to lead the Department of Health," Ferguson said in a statement. "His decades of experience and broad skillset will help chart a new vision for public health in Washington state."
Worsham has also served on public health committees and commissions, including Leadership Tomorrow and the Washington State Public Health Association, which he leads as president, according to Ferguson's office.
Worsham takes on the role of the state's top health official after Dr. Umair Shah left the post in January. Shah moved to Washington from Texas in late 2020, arriving around the same time as some of the first COVID-19 vaccines. When he stepped down, Shah said wanted to focus on his family and kids, and also that he knows "how partisan things have gotten" and worries about how things will play out in the next few years.
© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
