Emergency physician named Mass. veterans services secretary

Gov. Maura Healey has again turned to an emergency physician and military service member to serve as veterans services secretary in Massachusetts.

Eric Goralnick will take over at the Executive Office of Veterans Services in February, the latest step in what the administration said has been a two-decade career "as an emergency physician, United States Navy Veteran, health system leader and nationally recognized expert in health care operations, military-civilian health care partnerships and care for service members, veterans and underserved communities."

In his current role, Goralnick bridges military and civilian health care at Mass. General Brigham and works as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

"We have made a strong commitment to fixing a broken system and delivering for our veterans," Healey said. "Dr. Goralnick understands that veterans deserve care that meets them where they are. He brings deep experience as a physician, a leader and a collaborator, and he has spent his career strengthening systems, improving access to care and bringing people together across institutions. He is the right person to build on this progress and continue delivering for veterans and their families across Massachusetts."

Goralnick succeeds Jon Santiago, the state's first-ever Cabinet-level veterans services secretary who stepped down this fall. Santiago, who joined Healey's Cabinet after about four years in the House, is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and an emergency medicine physician at Boston Medical Center. Andrea Gayle-Bennett is serving as interim secretary in the meantime.

The position of veterans services secretary was elevated to the governor's Cabinet under a 2022 law that responded to governance and operational shortcomings that proved fatal during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly at the state-run soldiers' homes in Holyoke and Chelsea.

Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Jack Hammond, executive director of the Home Base program, said Goralnick will bring "exactly the kind of leadership Veterans need in this moment."

"He understands both the realities of military service and the urgency of delivering high-quality, accessible care to veterans and their families," Hammond said. "Dr. Goralnick established the Military Veterans Initiative at the MGB and provided critical support to Home Base as a Senior Advisor. Through our work at Home Base, we see every day how critical strong partnerships between health systems, government, and veteran organizations are to supporting service members and their families, and Dr. Goralnick has built his career around strengthening those connections."

The last year has seen marked turnover in the governor’s Cabinet. With the appointment of Goralnick, the only vacancy remaining is atop the Department of Transportation, where MBTA General Manager Phil Eng is pulling double duty on an interim basis.