Governor-elect Wes Moore is tapping medical leadership veteran Dr. Laura Herrera Scott as the next Maryland secretary of health.

Herrera Scott brings both public and private sector experience to the job. She’s worked as a vice president at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, held the position of medical director of population and community health at Johns Hopkins Healthcare and served as deputy secretary of public health under former Gov. Martin O’Malley.

“Herrera Scott is a caring clinician with a deep understanding of population health and the health of communities and expertise in health care financing,” said Joshua Sharfstein, O’Malley’s health secretary from 2011 to 2014. “It is incredibly rare to find that in one person, and she does all of it so well. She's worked in HIV clinics, she has overseen reproductive health services, she is a fantastic public health leader.”

Herrera Scott received her medical degree from the Downstate Health Sciences University in New York. She later got her Master’s of public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Laura Herrera Scott is Governor-Elect Wes Moore’s choice for health secretary,” said Vincent DeMarco, President of the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition, an organization that works closely with Maryland government for affordable health care and drug prices. “In her time at the Baltimore City and Maryland state health departments, Dr. Herrera Scott has shown herself a strong public health advocate and terrific leader. We look forward to working with her to achieve our common goal of quality, affordable health care for all Marylanders.”

Before working statewide roles, Herrera Scott was the chief medical officer at the Baltimore City Health Department.