Jan Malcolm
Jan Malcolm has served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health under 3 governors: Ventura 1999-2003; Dayton 2018; Walz 2019-23. As Commissioner she was responsible for directing the breadth of functions and programs which carry out MDH’s mission to protect, maintain and improve the health of all Minnesotans. In addition to leading Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights of her three terms include passage of significant legislation to: fund prevention of youth tobacco use and other health risk factors; improve regulation of long term care facilities; strengthen local public health departments and begin to redesign the statewide governmental public health system; and address health disparities.
Prior to being re-appointed commissioner in 2018, Jan was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where she co-directed a national research and leadership development program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Earlier she helped develop and implement initiatives to strengthen the nation’s public health system as a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Jan served as CEO of the Courage Center, a leading provider of rehabilitation and health services for people with disabilities from 2005-2013. As CEO she strengthened operational performance, started innovative programs, and confronted structural problems in the business model due to the flawed health care reimbursement system which undervalues services like primary care, rehabilitation and maintenance therapies. To preserve the organization’s mission and comprehensive services, she co-engineered the merger of Courage Center and the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute to create the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute as part of Allina Health.
She has served as Vice President of Public Affairs and Philanthropy at Allina and in several senior leadership roles at HealthPartners and its precursor organizations MedCenters Health Plan and Group Health. She began her health policy career at InterStudy in 1978 with Dr. Paul Ellwood.
Jan has served on numerous boards of directors in Minnesota, including the Bush Foundation, Women’s Foundation, United Way, Planned Parenthood, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Nationally she has served on the boards of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, Academy Health and the Public Health Foundation.
Throughout her career she has sought to reform policies, practices and systems to improve the health of all populations.
Educational Background
- BA, Dartmouth College. 1977 (pre-med)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws from University of MN School of Public Health.
- 2020 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Saint Catherine University. 2020