Alison V. Beam ’08 HHD

Alison V. Beam ’08 HHD is the current Senior Vice President and Chief Government Affairs Officer at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Previously she was the acting secretary of Health for the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Alison’s primary priority upon assuming office was the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, then in short supply, throughout Pennsylvania. Alison was also responsible for crafting an accountable and inclusive impact strategy for an estimated $1.7 billion of federal stimulus dollars directed to various divisions of the Department of Health and multiple state agencies. Alison served on the leadership team of the COVID-19 response for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, responsible for mitigation decisions, hospital and provider capacity determinations, response infrastructure design, and public health communications as the complex situation evolved.

From 2019 to 2021, Alison was the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. In this role, Alison coordinated policy development, fiscal and legal management, legislative initiatives, and stakeholder engagement across Pennsylvania’s state-based health insurance marketplace, “Reach Out PA,” the state’s mental health services outreach campaign, and the Wolf Administration's health care reform agenda.

Alison has earned several awards and honors. Most recently in 2021 Alison was named to the “Pennsylvania Healthcare Power 100,”and the Central Penn Business Journal’s “Power 30” for Health Care. Other achievements include Outstanding Achievement Award in the Health Law Concentration at Drexel University School of Law and Board Member of the Year by the Penn State College of Health and Human Development Alumni Board.

In addition to her bachelor’s degree in Health Policy and Administration and Schreyer’s Honors from Penn State, Alison holds a Juris Doctor from Drexel University School of Law. Alison is a member of the Penn State Alumni Association and lives in Camp Hill with her husband and their two children.