Minn.'s Quam Taking Health Role For US State Dept.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota health executive Lois Quam has signed to lead the multi-billion dollar Global Health Initiative at the U.S. State Department.
A State Department spokesman confirmed Wednesday that Quam will be executive director of the initiative.
In 2009, President Barack Obama committed $63 billion over six years to the program aimed at helping developing nations fight disease, improve nutrition and provide more aid for prenatal and postnatal care.
Quam, of St. Paul, is a former UnitedHealth Group executive who co-founded a health consulting firm last year. She is married to Matt Entenza, a former state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010.
The appointment reunites Quam with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Quam was a senior adviser to Clinton's health care task force in the 1990s.
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