Dr. Leana Wen has been selected as the new president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She assumes her new role on November 12. For the first time in nearly 50 years, a physican will lead the century-old reproductive health services and education organization.
As a patient advocate and an emergency physician, Dr. Wen has led the Baltimore City Health Department since January 2015. She has devoted her career to expanding access to health care for low income communities, reducing health disparities, and finding innovative solutions to some of the most challenging public health problems today, from opioid abuse and teen pregnancy to the epidemic of gun violence.
After the Trump Administration decided to cut funds for the teen pregnancy prevention program, Dr. Wen and the City of Baltimore succesfully sued the Trump Administration. A federal judge ordered that nearly $5 million in grant funding be restored to the city's teen pregnacy prevention effort.
Dr. Wen has always been an advocate for Planned Parenthood. Her mother and younger sister often relied on the organization for health care, after her family emigrated from China to the United States.
Under Dr. Wen's stewardship, the Baltimore City Health Department has led the country in health innovations, and was recognized this past July by the National Association of County and City Health Officials as the Local Health Department of the Year.
