In a banquet room decorated with gold-framed portraits and crystal chandeliers, Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s newly minted Physician General, gave a keynote address last week at the Union League of Philadelphia on the state of women’s health. Less than 24 hours before, she had been unanimously confirmed to her new post by the state Senate.
As Levine stood at the podium, the smell of bacon began to overpower the lingering odor of old, white men that still clung to the oak-paneled walls, and as she began speaking, she did so as the highest-ranking transgender person in Pennsylvania government history — and the first-ever transgender person appointed to a governor’s cabinet in the Keystone State.
“It was a very big day for me,” Levine told PGN, in her first sit-down interview since being confirmed to the position. “I’m absolutely thrilled.”
Wasting no time, the 57-year-old doctor, who stood tall with frosted blond curls, got right to business.
“The biggest health problem we have in our state is the opioid crisis,” Levine said.
Opioids refer to heroin and addictive pain medications like Vicodin, Oxycontin and Percocet. During her tenure, Levine plans to implement guidelines for prescriptions and a monitoring program with an online registry. This program would help to prevent “doctor shopping,” a term used to describe the practice of patients going to multiple doctors in search of prescription medication. Levine also aims to get the drug Narcan, which can reverse overdoses, into the hands of first responders, hospitals, police and the public.
“Narcan comes as a nasal spray or an auto injector that looks like an EpiPen,” Levine said. “It’s an amazing medication because it doesn’t have any other side effects. It’s absolutely life-saving.”
Since 1996, Levine served as a physician at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She graduated from the Tulane University School of Medicine.
However, her life changed dramatically late last year when she was asked to create a report for then Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and his Secretary of Health, Karen Murphy.
“I didn’t know Gov. Wolf before this. I was asked to be the co-chair of the transitions committee for health. I like to say [Wolf] picked me because I specialized in transitions,” Levine laughed.
Discussions then began about Levine’s role in the new Wolf administration. Within a week-and-a-half in January, she was interviewed, Wolf officially asked her to be Physician General, the announcement was made on a Saturday morning and on Monday she saw her regular patients until 6 p.m. The following day, she was sworn in and on Wednesday reported to the Department of Health for her new job as Acting Physician General.
Although she began the work in January, it took nearly five months for the state Senate to confirm her position, a move that finally happened June 9.
“I’m learning that, unlike in hospitals, state government can move a bit slowly,” Levine joked.
Although Levine will have to adapt to a slower pace in government, there’s no denying that most Pennsylvanians’ attitudes are changing in a hurry when it comes to LGBT acceptance.
House Bill 300, an anti-discrimination edict that Wolf said he wants to sign in his first term, is evidence that the commonwealth and the country are moving in the right direction.
Levine’s own transition process about five years ago helped her former employer move in that direction as well.
“At Penn State-Hershey Medical Center, what we wanted to do was move the bar from tolerance to acceptance,” she said. “The hospital expanded their nondiscrimination policy to include gender identity and expression as I transitioned; previously, it had been sexual orientation.”
Transgender people are not just coming out at work, but also making bold statements in popular culture. On television, transgender characters appear on such popular shows as “Orange is the New Black” and “Transparent.” While Levine said she doesn’t watch much TV, she has read about some of these shows.
“It’s important to have background role models that normalize trans people so that it’s apparent that we’re a part of society,” she said. “We must be represented.”
According to Levine, there wasn’t much sociological context for being transgender when she was growing up. She did recognize that something was different when she was a child, but came into her own understanding gradually.
She said she started thinking about a transition when she was in her 40s and then transitioned about a decade later. Her family includes an ex-wife with whom she’s extremely close and two adult children they co-parent. She counts her girlfriend as one of her strongest allies. Her 90-year-old mother, Lillian, is Levine’s best friend.
“When I came out to my mother, she said, ‘I’m not sure I understand, honey, but my love is unconditional and I accept you completely,’” Levine said. “I began to cry.”
Lillian Levine was a maverick in her own right: She was the only female in her graduating class at the Boston University School of Law in 1946. She went on to become a practicing attorney. Lillian continues to serve as a positive role model for Levine from her senior living facility located not far from her daughter in the Harrisburg area.
As Pennsylvania’s top doc, Levine’s days begin early (she was up at 3 a.m. the day we met to catch the 5 a.m. train from Harrisburg to Philly). When she’s not working, the Harvard grad likes to walk her two soft-coated Wheaton Terriers, Bailey and Gracie.
She thinks the song “Defying Gravity” from the musical “Wicked” is her personal anthem and loves listening to Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King. She’s acted at both Theatre Harrisburg and the Hershey Area Playhouse. In her new role in the Wolf administration, Levine is looking forward to being in Philadelphia more often; she said she enjoys drinking Earl Grey tea in Rittenhouse Square and is hoping to explore Philadelphia restaurants that cater to her dietary needs.
“You haven’t lived until you’ve had dairy-free, gluten-free pizza with a rice crust and soy cheese,” Levine quipped.
Back at her office in the Department of Health, Levine is ready to roll up her sleeves.
“I enjoy being an agent of change. I joke with Dr. Karen Murphy, the Secretary of Health, that if the administration wanted to keep the status quo, they picked the wrong people.”