Celeste Philip MD, MPH

Celeste Philip, MD, MPH, was appointed by Governor Rick Scott as Surgeon General and Secretary of the Florida Department of Health on May 18, 2016. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Secretary for Health and Deputy State Health Officer for Children's Medical Services. Dr. Philip is board certified in Family Medicine as well as Public Health and General Preventive Medicine and brings a wealth of academic excellence and professional experience.

Dr. Philip, who has been with the Department since 2008, has served in a number of capacities, including as interim director for three county health departments. She began her career with the department in Polk County where she served as medical director and served on the board of Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, where she also provided primary care to uninsured patients.

She was recently named the 2016 Outstanding Public Health Woman of the Year by the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health. Dr. Philip is a board member of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation and is president of the American Heart Association's six-state Greater Southeast Affiliate.