The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) leadership are public servants committed to the health and well-being of all, and have a wealth of experience in issues related to advancing health equity and improving the health of people who live and/or work in settings that put them at increased risk of becoming infected or exposed to hazards.
The directors guide CMS OMH in coordinating minority health initiatives within CMS, advising on minority health disparities and interventions, reporting on the progress toward health equity goals, and much more
Dr. LaShawn McIver
Director
Dr. LaShawn McIver joined CMS as the Director of the Office of Minority Health in August 2020. She is a proven public health leader with experience in driving successful health initiatives and public policy efforts aimed at promoting health equity, improving health outcomes, increasing access to care, and promoting health system reform.
Before joining CMS, Dr. McIver led Government Affairs & Advocacy (GA&A) efforts at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as its Vice President of Public Policy & Strategic Alliances and later as its Senior Vice President of all GA&A. During her 9-year tenure with the ADA, she provided strategic direction and oversight of the ADA’s advocacy activities, which focused on increasing federal and state funding for diabetes research and programs; eliminating diabetes disparities; diabetes prevention; and improving the availability of accessible, adequate, and affordable health care. She has also served as the inaugural HIV/AIDS fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus’s Center for Policy Analysis and Research and as a program director at the Baltimore City Health Department.
Dr. McIver earned a Medical Degree in International Health & Medicine through the Medical School for International Health in Collaboration with Columbia University’s Medical Center and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Pamela J. Gentry
Acting Deputy Director
Pamela J. Gentry is the Acting Deputy Director at the CMS OMH at the Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to joining the office in 2013, Gentry was the Director of the Strategic Marketing Group, where she was responsible for the development and execution of national education and outreach campaigns for Medicare, Medicaid, the Health Insurance Marketplace, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. These federal health care programs serve more than 150 million Americans.
Gentry returned to federal service in 2010 after 8 years as senior manager in broadcast and online media for BET Networks. She joined BET as senior producer and bureau chief for CBS/BET Nightly News in 2002.
Gentry created BET’s first online political blog in 2005, “Pamela on Politics.” In 2009, she became the network’s senior political analyst responsible for the daily coverage of the White House and legislative activity on Capitol Hill.
Prior to coming to BET, Gentry was a political producer for the public affairs network C-SPAN; served as the Associate Administrator for External Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services; and worked at W*USA-TV Channel 9 in Washington, D.C., as a producer and assignment editor.
Gentry has appeared regularly as a political analyst on CNN, Fox News, BBC World News, and Sky News discussing politics. She has appeared frequently on WOL Radio’s The Joe Madison Show; XM Radio’s presidential talk show POTUS; National Public Radio’s Tell Me More; The Right Side with Armstrong Williams; and PBS's The White House Chronicles. Gentry was also a guest blogger for the website HuffingtonPost.
Meena Abraham, DrPH, MPH
Director, Program Alignment and Partner Engagement Group
Meena Abraham, DrPH, MPH, is the Director of the Program Alignment and Partner Engagement Group (PAPEG) in the CMS Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH). PAPEG is responsible for working across CMS programs, policies, models, and demonstrations to ensure that the needs of minority and underserved populations are met.
She comes to OMH from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) where she served as Deputy Director at the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), providing oversight for planning, staff engagement and professional development, and program performance management, and later Senior Advisor in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, supporting policy and program initiatives across the agency.
Dr. Abraham began her federal career at CMS’ Innovation Center in 2014 as Director of the Division of Health Care Models managing a portfolio of Health Care Innovation Awards and Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns model. She then served as Senior Advisor in the Learning and Diffusion Group working on stakeholder engagement, quality improvement, and clinician workforce development, with an emphasis on sustainability of care delivery adaptations, including ones implemented in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
Prior to entering federal service, Dr. Abraham held executive positions at the Maryland State Medical Society, Maryland State Department of Health, and Baltimore City Health Department, where she established public health and quality initiatives on a range of topics, including maternal and perinatal outcomes, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, and substance use disorder. A key focus throughout her career has been to bring together the patient, provider, and institutional perspectives to inform health policy development and design health system adaptations.
Dr. Abraham earned Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
Meagan T. Khau
Director, Data and Policy Analytics Group
Meagan Khau is the Director of the Data and Policy Analytics Group (DPAG) at CMS OMH. DPAG conducts research, data collection, and analyses to identify targets to reduce health disparities and improve quality of care, care transitions, access to care, and beneficiary satisfaction for populations at higher risk. DPAG is also involved in developing and implementing initiatives and data analyses to support cross-component/cross-agency collaborations to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting of race and ethnicity, primary language, disability, gender, and other characteristics associated with health disparities.
Prior to joining CMS OMH, Meagan was the Deputy Director of the Division of Pharmacy in the Center for the Medicaid and CHIP Services, managing the operations of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, supporting system developments, ensuring program compliance, and implementing new policies and regulations.
Meagen received her Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Irvine.