Kerry Paige Nesseler, R.N., M.S., was appointed Associate Administrator for Health Professions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on July 29, 2002.

HRSA works to fill in the health care gaps for people who live outside the economic and medical mainstream. The agency uses its $7.2 billion annual budget (FY 2004) to expand access to quality health care for all Americans through an array of grants to state and local governments, health care providers and health professions training programs.

As associate administrator for HRSA's Bureau of Health Professions, Nesseler is responsible for developing and implementing federal policies and programs for health professionals throughout the United States. With a fiscal year 2004 budget of $909 million and a staff of 365, the bureau directs a variety of health professions programs affecting the nation's physicians, dentists, nurses, allied health professionals and health workforce issues. The bureau also oversees the National Health Service Corps, Ready Responders, training and curriculum development to counter bioterrorism, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program, the National Practitioner Data Bank and the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank.

Nesseler served as deputy associate administrator for programs for HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau between 2000 and her current appointment. From 1998-2000, she was senior advisor to the MCHB associate administrator, and was a senior nurse consultant at MCHB for five years prior to that.

From 1992-1993, Nesseler was a nurse epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and first worked with HRSA from 1990-1992 as a senior project officer/nurse consultant in the Bureau of Primary Health Care. From 1986-1990, she was with the Indian Health Service in Minnesota as a maternal-child health program coordinator. In 1989, she had an assignment to the College of Micronesia, Majuro, where she taught MCH nursing. While in Hawaii from 1982-1986, Nesseler held various nursing positions, including clinical nursing instructor at Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu (1985) and nursing educator and instructor (1985-1986) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu.

Nesseler received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco. She earned a master of science in nursing from the University of Hawaii. She holds the rank of captain in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

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