George L. Askew, M.D., serves as the first chief medical officer for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role he provides expert advice and consultation to the assistant secretary for children and families on the development of plans, programs, policies, and initiatives that address the health needs and strengths of vulnerable children and families.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Askew served as senior policy advisor for Early Childhood Health and Development for ACF, where he led a team working on inter-departmental health-related early childhood initiatives and programs, including the home visiting program, joint Head Start and child care initiatives, and programs or initiatives administered and developed in coordination with other HHS agencies. During a previous stint at HHS, Dr. Askew served as the chief of the Health and Disabilities Services Branch of the Head Start Bureau and medical advisor to the Commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. He provided leadership in developing policies, oversight and support systems to improve the quality of outcomes of medical, dental, nutritional, mental health and disabilities services to Head Start and Early Head Start children and families.
He is former deputy CEO of Voices for America’s Children, founder of Docs for Tots, former CEO and president of Jumpstart for Young Children and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer.
As a child and family advocate, because of his initiative, vision, and national impact, Dr. Askew was selected as an Ashoka International Fellow. He was recognized as a national and global leader for his efforts to link health professionals with child advocacy, embodying the ideals of civic engagement and creative solution-building nurtured by the international fellowship program.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Askew was a Head Start graduate and later attended Harvard University and received a BA in Psychology and Social Relations emphasizing child development. He received his medical degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.