The American Red Cross has announced Dr. Bernadine P. Healy will be the organization's new president and chief executive officer. Healy will be the first medical doctor ever to lead the Red Cross.

Healy has been involved in many health-related organizations, most recently as dean of the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. She also served as director of the National Institutes of Health during the Bush administration, and as deputy director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Reagan.

Healy was the first woman to be named a science advisor to the White House.

Healy has held teaching positions at Johns Hopkins University and Ohio State, as well as directing research at The Cleveland Clinic. She has written extensively on women's health issues, and is past president of the American Heart Association.

"As a doctor and researcher, I have dedicated my life to alleviating human suffering," Healy said during a news conference at Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C. "I have long admired the Red Cross. It is far more than an organization. It is an international movement that is committed to humanitarian ideals."

Healy will start full time Sept. 1, replacing acting President Steve Bullock. Bullock, chief executive officer of the Red Cross' Greater Cleveland chapter, has held that position since Elizabeth Dole left to begin her presidential campaign.

Healy said she will begin many of her duties as soon as possible.

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