There may not be another AL DÍA event in 2020, but 2021 will ring in on Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. with the fourth annual AL DÍA Top Doctors Forum and Reception.

Nominations for the event closed the week of Dec. 7 and the winners have yet to be chosen, but AL DÍA is excited to announce that Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine will be the honored guest at 2021’s ceremony.

Levine has held her position at the state for more than three years after being appointed by Governor Tom Wolf in 2017, but has made headlines in 2020 for her leadership amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since March, Levine has been a mainstay on television sets across Pennsylvania as she provided daily updates on the pandemic’s progression.

She has been praised for both the decisive action she’s taken to combat the virus’ spread and the reassurance she conveys when dealing with every twist and turn of the pandemic.

Both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and NBC News have called Levine “the calm in the middle of the COVID-19 storm” in Pennsylvania. She has also been celebrated as one of the only and highest-ranking transgender public officials in the country.

Prior to her explosion onto the national stage in 2020 and appointment in 2017, Levine was Pennsylvania’s Physician General for two years between 2015 and 2017. In that role, she invoked the rarely-used power of a “standing order” for naloxone (Narcan) to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic in the state.

Outside of the government, Levine is a pediatrician. 

Before joining the Wolf administration, she was at Penn State Hershey Medical Center for more than 20 years. In that time, she created both an adolescent medicine division and eating disorders clinic at the center.

As an author and speaker, Levine has published or lectured on topics such as medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders, and LGBTQ medicine.

Levine is a graduate of Harvard College and received her medical degree from the Tulane University School of Medicine.

AL DÍA’s Top Doctors Forum is a time to both celebrate the achievements of some of the best Latino doctors in the region, but also inspire the next generation of Latino doctors that will push the medical field to new horizons.

Last year’s event, held in-person in the Lincoln Memorial Room at the Union League of Philadelphia honored four doctors and featured a fireside chat with honored guest Dr. Elena Ríos, the CEO and president of the National Hispanic Medical Association.

2021’s Top Doctors Forum will be a virtual ceremony. Tickets are available for purchase now.